Publishers Weekly
06/10/2024
When Daisy’s family attends the fair she loves, held during her favorite month—October—Daisy’s sister Mary wins a stuffed koala and brother Benjy earns a whistle. Daisy, meanwhile, garners a peculiar fish in a plastic bag, with “too many fins and scales like leaves, a head too big for his tail.” Digitally finished pen, ink, and watercolor spreads by Marwan (Where Butterflies Fill the Sky) have a dreamy, Kandinsky-esque feel, with bright reds fading into pinks and greens, lavenders and mauves. Mary calls the fish weird, but Daisy doesn’t mention her own jealousy of Mary’s koala. “Don’t worry,” she tells the fish, whom she calls October. “You are the best fish.” But October rapidly outgrows one glass bowl, then a larger one. He’s soon in the bathtub, and Daisy has to find another, better place for her charge. Daisy is faithful to her unprepossessing prize, and Arden (the Small Spaces series), making a picture book debut, fittingly rewards this loyalty throughout an unexpected series of events that focuses on bonds and transformations established through tending. The family is portrayed with light brown skin; background characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
★ "Arden’s lyrical, conversational text emphasizes the strong bond between Daisy and her new pet despite their limited time together; she makes clear that caring for another living being can alter us forever. With thick brushstrokes and a cool palette dominated by blues and browns, Marwan’s stunning pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations capture this unconditional nurturing bond, the concept of metamorphosis, and the transformative nature of autumn...A deeply empathetic look at the magic of love and compassion." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Digitally finished pen, ink, and watercolor spreads by Marwan...have a dreamy, Kandinsky-esque feel, with bright reds fading into pinks and greens, lavenders and mauves...Daisy is faithful to her unprepossessing prize, and Arden...fittingly rewards this loyalty throughout an unexpected series of events that focuses on bonds and transformations established through tending." —Publishers Weekly
“In Arden’s lyrical picture book debut, Marwan’s blending of watercolors captures the cozy autumn fair ambiance and the unwavering bond between a girl and her new pet…The double-page spreads of the lake foreshadow the mystery behind October, as Daisy—and young readers—are in for a big surprise in this compassionate read about the power of imagination and finding the magic of friendships in their everyday lives.” –Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This debut picture book from popular novelist Arden incants a spell of weird individuality and wonder… Both Arden's text and Marwan's whimsical watercolors intrigue.” —Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-05-31
In novelist Arden’s picture-book debut, a bizarre-looking fish has an unforgettable impact on a young girl.
October is Daisy’s favorite time of the year; she loves “cider and pumpkins, wet leaves and woodsmoke, and most importantly, the fair.” This year, she wins an odd prize at a fishing booth: an aquatic creature with “too many fins and scales like leaves” and “a head too big for his tail.” Her family dubs him “weird,” but after bringing him home in a bag of water, Daisy instantly bonds with him and names him after her favorite month. By the next morning, October has grown rapidly, prompting Daisy to move him to the bathtub, which still isn’t big enough. October fixes Daisy with a sad, piercing blue-eyed stare, so she moves him to the lake in front of her house, where he’s free to live his best life as the magical water dragon he is. Arden’s lyrical, conversational text emphasizes the strong bond between Daisy and her new pet despite their limited time together; she makes clear that caring for another living being can alter us forever. With thick brushstrokes and a cool palette dominated by blues and browns, Marwan’s stunning pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations capture this unconditional nurturing bond, the concept of metamorphosis, and the transformative nature of autumn. Daisy and her family are tan-skinned.
A deeply empathetic look at the magic of love and compassion.(Picture book. 4-7)
