Jean Little Library: Nonfiction Monday: Trout, Trout, Trout by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Trip Park

After I met April Pulley Sayre at ALA (and ok, I am not a big celebrity author fan kind of person, but I do like meeting authors that I think are important; like Sayre, who is one of the authors who pioneered a new writing style of nonfiction for very young children) I had the urge to go back and read through her backlist. This is one I hadn't seen before and I can't believe I missed it!

We love Sayre's fruit and vegetables chants and I was delighted to discover that she has a fish chant. This is especially apropos for our area, which has a gazillion lakes and most kids have gone fishing, or eat fish regularly. There's a swinging rhythm to the choice of fish names that would make this a rousing storytime read, "Threespine Stickleback, Freshwater Drum/Lake Chub, Creek Chub, Chum, Chum, Chum." Read this a couple times through and you'll find the kids chanting it along with you.

The illustrations are also a big draw. Park has a wildly different style than the more photographic or collage styles that are usually paired with Sayre. He's a cartoonist and his fish are wildly exaggerated with gaping mouths, bulging eyes, and accessories from water skis to magnifying glasses. Almost every glossy fish includes some kind of pun on their name or a joke.

Verdict: I don't usually buy backlist, but this is one that should definitely have been added to the collection and I intend to remedy that. If you live in a lake area, I highly recommend purchasing it if you don't already own it.