Untitled Document

	The Little Red Fish by Taeeun Yoo Dial Books for Young Readers, 2007 Publishers Weekly (starred review) Newcomer Yoo's sepia-toned pen-and-inks and watercolor wash, rich with shadows and spidery figures, provide a haunting obligato for her story of a boy's adventure alone in a deserted library. The cloth-covered, jacketless book and handsewn pages suggest the attention to detail and craft found within. Falling asleep among the shelves after his grandfather, the librarian, leaves the room, young JeJe wakes in the moonlight to find that his beloved red fish (which he carries about in a goldfish bowl) has disappeared. "He caught a glimpse of a little red tail flipping high over a shelf and so he followed it." Movement from one of the books on the shelf catches his eye. Inked in vermilion, the red fish and the red book stand out against the neutral background, as a series of wordless spreads follows. JeJe takes the book down, opens it, and is greeted by a fountain of fish just like his. Diving in, he travels through a wintry landscape, then sails across an ocean with a flock of flamingos in an image that recalls Japanese silkscreen landscapes. He and his fish land safely in the library just as JeJe's grandfather returns to fetch him. "He whispered to his fish that they would come back to the library very soon." Like Barbara Lehman's work, of which her fans might be reminded here, Yoo's exhilarating visual images don't really need words. They seem to call to a place beyond language, and shutting the book feels like awakening from a dream. Kirkus Review Amazing things can happen in libraries. JeJe's randfather is a librarian, and one day he invites JeJe to join him at the old library in the forest where he works. JeJe brings along his friend the little red fish. For awhile, JeJe explores the rooms of books, but soon falls asleep on the floor with the fish bowl atop an open book. When JeJe awakens, the library is dark and, as he begins to read one of the books to his fish, he discovers the fish has disappeared! Searching everywhere, JeJe glimpses a red fish tail vanish into an old book. "Something magical" happens when JeJe opens the book and falls into the page in pursuit of his fish. Delicate, dusky sepia etchings capture the mysterious atmosphere of the old library, and the repetitive use of red for JeJe's fish proves an attractive lure for the eye. Was JeJe's adventure a dream or was he just lost in the pages of a book? The pictures are worth a thousand words in this fantastical tale. School Library Journal From the moment readers encounter this book, they know that they've found something different. Rather than having a dust jacket, it is bound in bright red fabric, with the title and author embossed in black print and a small illustration centered on the cover. Inside, detailed hand-colored etchings match well with the quiet, mysterious story that unfolds. For the first time ever, JeJe is allowed to go to the library located deep inside the forest with his grandfather, the librarian. The boy takes his little red fish with him. He falls asleep and when he awakes, he notices that his companion has disappeared. Catching a glimpse of its tail, he follows it to an old red volume and when he opens the book, "something magical" happens. A wordless spread shows several fish spewing out of the tome. Seeing his pet still inside, JeJe reaches for it and falls into the pages. After several adventures-portrayed through illustrations only-he returns to the room with his fish in hand. He places the volume back on the shelf, hoping to visit another day. The boy's fantastical experiences will resonate with readers. The characters and setting are depicted in sepia tones; only the fish and the book are in eye-catching red. Due to its small size and the delicate nature of the artwork, this offering would work best for individual reading or one-on-one sharing.-Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA Booklist Jeje brings his pet fish when he accompanies his grandfather to an old library. After exploring the dark, mysterious building, the boy falls asleep and awakens to find that the library has grown strange. After his red fish disappears from its bowl, Jeje chases flashes of red amid the gloom, and then finds a magical book that releases torrents of water and fish. He falls down into a book illustration and catches hold of a passing bird that carries him above the ocean. There he spies his fish, dives after him, and, tumbling out of the book, returns him to his bowl. Six wordless pages illustrate the boy's rescue adventure. The text here is subordinate to the dark, atmospheric etchings, tinted with shades of gray and sepia with touches of red. The book's scarlet cloth cover is as beautifully made as every other physical element of this well-designed volume. An imaginatively illustrated flight of fancy, this is the first picture book by Yoo, a Korean American artist. Chicago Tribune The ideal readers here must, like the little boy who accompanies his librarian grandfather to work, have patience and the ability to amuse themselves. There's much to follow in Taeeun Yoo's etchings of this mysteriously located library--"in the middle of the forest"--especially when the little boy falls asleep and awakes to find his little red goldfish has left the bowl and headed for, well, perhaps it might be called his "book of origin." reviewed by Mary Harris Russell

The Little Red Fish by Taeeun Yoo
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2007

Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Newcomer Yoo's sepia-toned pen-and-inks and watercolor wash, rich with shadows and spidery figures, provide a haunting obligato for her story of a boy's adventure alone in a deserted library. The cloth-covered, jacketless book and handsewn pages suggest the attention to detail and craft found within. Falling asleep among the shelves after his grandfather, the librarian, leaves the room, young JeJe wakes in the moonlight to find that his beloved red fish (which he carries about in a goldfish bowl) has disappeared. "He caught a glimpse of a little red tail flipping high over a shelf and so he followed it." Movement from one of the books on the shelf catches his eye. Inked in vermilion, the red fish and the red book stand out against the neutral background, as a series of wordless spreads follows. JeJe takes the book down, opens it, and is greeted by a fountain of fish just like his. Diving in, he travels through a wintry landscape, then sails across an ocean with a flock of flamingos in an image that recalls Japanese silkscreen landscapes. He and his fish land safely in the library just as JeJe's grandfather returns to fetch him. "He whispered to his fish that they would come back to the library very soon." Like Barbara Lehman's work, of which her fans might be reminded here, Yoo's exhilarating visual images don't really need words. They seem to call to a place beyond language, and shutting the book feels like awakening from a dream.

Kirkus Review
Amazing things can happen in libraries. JeJe's randfather is a librarian, and one day he invites JeJe to join him at the old library in the forest where he works. JeJe brings along his friend the little red fish. For awhile, JeJe explores the rooms of books, but soon falls asleep on the floor with the fish bowl atop an open book. When JeJe awakens, the library is dark and, as he begins to read one of the books to his fish, he discovers the fish has disappeared! Searching everywhere, JeJe glimpses a red fish tail vanish into an old book. "Something magical" happens when JeJe opens the book and falls into the page in pursuit of his fish. Delicate, dusky sepia etchings capture the mysterious atmosphere of the old library, and the repetitive use of red for JeJe's fish proves an attractive lure for the eye. Was JeJe's adventure a dream or was he just lost in the pages of a book? The pictures are worth a thousand words in this fantastical tale.

School Library Journal
From the moment readers encounter this book, they know that they've found something different. Rather than having a dust jacket, it is bound in bright red fabric, with the title and author embossed in black print and a small illustration centered on the cover. Inside, detailed hand-colored etchings match well with the quiet, mysterious story that unfolds. For the first time ever, JeJe is allowed to go to the library located deep inside the forest with his grandfather, the librarian. The boy takes his little red fish with him. He falls asleep and when he awakes, he notices that his companion has disappeared. Catching a glimpse of its tail, he follows it to an old red volume and when he opens the book, "something magical" happens. A wordless spread shows several fish spewing out of the tome. Seeing his pet still inside, JeJe reaches for it and falls into the pages. After several adventures-portrayed through illustrations only-he returns to the room with his fish in hand. He places the volume back on the shelf, hoping to visit another day. The boy's fantastical experiences will resonate with readers. The characters and setting are depicted in sepia tones; only the fish and the book are in eye-catching red. Due to its small size and the delicate nature of the artwork, this offering would work best for individual reading or one-on-one sharing.-Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA

Booklist
Jeje brings his pet fish when he accompanies his grandfather to an old library. After exploring the dark, mysterious building, the boy falls asleep and awakens to find that the library has grown strange. After his red fish disappears from its bowl, Jeje chases flashes of red amid the gloom, and then finds a magical book that releases torrents of water and fish. He falls down into a book illustration and catches hold of a passing bird that carries him above the ocean. There he spies his fish, dives after him, and, tumbling out of the book, returns him to his bowl. Six wordless pages illustrate the boy's rescue adventure. The text here is subordinate to the dark, atmospheric etchings, tinted with shades of gray and sepia with touches of red. The book's scarlet cloth cover is as beautifully made as every other physical element of this well-designed volume. An imaginatively illustrated flight of fancy, this is the first picture book by Yoo, a Korean American artist.

Chicago Tribune
The ideal readers here must, like the little boy who accompanies his librarian grandfather to work, have patience and the ability to amuse themselves. There's much to follow in Taeeun Yoo's etchings of this mysteriously located library--"in the middle of the forest"--especially when the little boy falls asleep and awakes to find his little red goldfish has left the bowl and headed for, well, perhaps it might be called his "book of origin."
reviewed by Mary Harris Russell