Poor Doreen: A Fishy Tale

by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator)

Overview

An Ample Roundy Fish called Mrs. Doreen Randolph-Potts is on a mission: to visit her second cousin twice removed who's just welcomed 157 babies. But when she spies what she thinks is a yummy dragonfly—and is actually bait—poor Doreen is lifted out of the water on a fishing pole. Luckily, Doreen is, shall we say, a wee bit clueless about the dire situation. Kids will love being in on the joke as our oblivious heroine arrives, in a roundabout way, at her final destination. Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of the New York Times bestseller How to Be A Baby, and acclaimed illustrator Alexandra Boiger bring the world of a fish to vibrant, funny life. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375869181
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

SALLY LLOYD-JONES is the author of the books How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister, which was a New York Times bestseller, an ALA Notable Book, and the recipient of two starred reviews; How to Get Married . . . by Me, the Bride; and How to Get a Job . . . by Me, the Boss. She is also the author of Being a Pig Is Nice, illustrated by Dan Krall. She worked in children's publishing for several years, leaving in 2000 to write full-time.

ALEXANDRA BOIGER is the illustrator of numerous children's books, including Marilyn Singer's Tallulah's Tutu and its sequels; The Little Bit Scary People by Emily Jenkins; Doctor All-Knowing: A Folk Tale from the Brothers Grimm by Doris Orgel; and While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat by Amy Reichert. She also re-illustrated Betty MacDonald's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series.

Editorial Reviews

12/23/2013
An "Ample Roundy Fish" named Miss Doreen Randolph-Potts stars in this testament to the power of positive thinking (or dumb luck). On her way to visit a "second cousin twice removed who's just had 157 babies," the babushka-wearing, umbrella-toting Doreen is hooked by a fisherman, snatched up by a heron, and dropped in a potentially fatal plummet. But Doreen only sees the upsides: "What a remarkable swimmer I am!" she says as she's pulled to the surface on the fishhook. Not so for Lloyd-Jones's (Just Because You're Mine) tut-tutting narrator, who is quick to point out to Doreen that "The one thing you're not is lucky. This may be the most awful day of your life. Worse—it may be your... last." Is the narrator meant to be snarky, ironic, or genuinely concerned? It isn't always clear. There's no ambivalence, however, in Boiger's (the Tallulah books) waterfront scenes, with their pretty, gossamer washes of blues and greens and relatable, comically drawn characters. The images leave no doubt that Doreen will end up right where she's supposed to be. Ages 4–8. Illustrator's agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2014:
"[An] amusing, cleverly executed tale."

From the Publisher

Miss Doreen Randolph-Potts, a Southern-Belle-Ample-Roundy-Fish stylishly decked out in a bright red kerchief and carrying a red umbrella, sets off upstream to visit her second cousin once removed who has just had 157 babies. Unfortunately, “Poor Doreen” is about to encounter a tasty-looking dragonfly, a fisherman, and a hungry heron. It is a good thing Doreen has such a sunny personality. Even as the narrator warns that this may be the unluckiest day of Doreen’s life, the cheerful fish is thanking the fisherman for her pleasant “outing,” politely chatting with the heron (while clasped in his bill), and thoroughly enjoying her experience “flying” (or falling) through the air, back into the stream from which she came. What a story to share with her cousin! Lloyd-Jones’ text is alliterative and well-paced, building anticipation, creating moments of suspense, and drawing the audience into a playful contradiction between the narrator’s (and audience’s) concern for Doreen’s clearly perilous situation and her blissful obliviousness to any danger. Additionally, Lloyd-Jones seamlessly incorporates teaching moments, describing the “big round O for OPEN” of Doreen’s mouth, and “great big P for PROUD” of the heron’s chest. Boiger’s watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations perfectly match the text, foreshadowing the arrival of Doreen’s predators, matching the bodies of each character to the letters in the text, and following Doreen up, down, and around as she moves from the stream to the bucket to the sky. Boiger’s red accents against blue waterscapes highlight Doreen, making her easy to identify even in large spreads, and her gradual shift to a sunset color palette provides a gentle close to a rousing tale. As a read aloud for the early elementary ages, this lively fish tale is sure to be a hit. Reviewer: Chelsea Couillard-Smith; Ages 5 to 7.

Children's Literature - Chelsea Couillard-Smith

10/01/2014
K-Gr 2—Doreen, a fish with bad luck and an optimistic temperament, is on the way to visit her cousin. When Doreen spies a delicious dragonfly, she snaps it up, not realizing it's a lure and that she's just been caught by a fisherman. One potentially catastrophic event after another happens to her, but with her serene attitude, she sees nothing but good: being put in the fisherman's pail is a chance for her to rest, and after being snapped up by a great blue heron, Doreen thanks him for accompanying her on her trip. A wary narrator relays the story of the fish's perilous journey to see her relative and is the voice of reason, and doom, alongside Doreen's obliviousness. Repetition of phrases, and the humorous and cautionary asides make this perfect for reading aloud. Delightful illustrations in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil show a smiling small blue and pink polka-dotted fish wearing a red babushka and sporting a red umbrella. A charming tale with an endearing—and enduring—heroine.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

School Library Journal

★ 2014-01-15
A clueless fish owes her escape from a fisherman and a great blue heron to sheer dumb luck in this "fishy tale." A little round fish in a kerchief, Miss Doreen Randolph-Potts wends her way upstream to visit her cousin when she spies a dragonfly "darting, / dancing deliciously above her." Thinking she's found a "lovely snack," Doreen unknowingly swallows the fisherman's lure as he rapidly reels her in and tosses her into his bucket. Gleefully assuming she's on an "outing," Doreen's equally oblivious when the heron snaps her up and flies off. Thanking the heron for escorting her on her journey, Doreen asks if he's an egret, prompting him to open his beak to correct her. Suddenly "plunging and plummeting" through the air, unflappable Doreen's thrilled to be "FLYING" and eventually falls back into the stream and swims on, unaware of her close calls. Laced with panicky warnings from the narrator alerting Doreen to her impending mortal danger, the alliterative text tracks her perilous journey in humorous detail while its typographic placement visually follows her up, down and across double-page spreads. Rendered in pencil, watercolor, gouache and colored pencil, the fluid illustrations effectively rely on light and arresting perspectives to highlight Doreen's precarious situations. Ignorance equals bliss in this amusing, cleverly executed tale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews