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Not Norman: A Goldfish Story Reviewed By Conny Withay of Bookpleasures.com
- By Conny Withay
- Published September 30, 2015
- Childrens & Young Adults
Conny Withay
Reviewer Conny Withay:Operating her own business in office management since 1991, Conny is an avid reader and volunteers with the elderly playing her designed The Write Word Game. A cum laude graduate with a degree in art living in the Pacific Northwest, she is married with two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.
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Author: Kelly Bennett
Illustrator: Noah Z.
Jones
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN:
978-0-7636-2763-8
“When I got Norman, I didn’t want to
keep him. I wanted a different kind of pet,” Kelly Bennett writes
in her children’s book, Not Norman:
A Goldfish Story.
This
thirty-two-page paperback targets four-to-eight-year-olds or
preschoolers to third graders. With no scary scenes, it is about a
boy and his pet goldfish. Containing a paragraph error and some
complicated wording, it would be best read out loud to beginner
readers. The full-color, full-page illustrations are sophomoric but
easy to decipher and follow the storyline.
Written in first
person, a young boy receives a goldfish presumably for his birthday,
yet he wants something fun like a dog or cat. Deciding he would
return the fish named Norman, he takes him to school for
Show-and-Tell. While at school, water is lost from the fish’s bowl,
a snake is loose in the classroom diverting attention from his
report, and Norman occupies the boy’s interest during his music
lesson. It is only when the boy is scared at night that he realizes
he has a friend nearby, and he changes his mind about returning
Norman to the pet store.
This is a cute book that not only
shows how a child can get attached to his or her pet, but also that
having a fish is a responsibility. I liked how it slowly built up the
story to show the boy’s love for a little fish.
With some
grammar issues and using the words “outta” and “wanna,” the
book may teach young readers it is acceptable to misspell words or
write poorly. If these and other writing issues could be corrected,
the book that is a retold story would be higher rated.
Author
of two other books, Bennett has a love for fish. Her family and she
live in Trinidad with their unique pet goldfish. Illustrator Jonas
has designed four children’s books, likes drawing fish, and lives
in California.
Being critical of teaching proper grammar, I
wish the book could be edited properly, so children are not misled or
taught incorrect grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
If you
are looking for a book about pet fish, this would be a good choice to
show a child there is something unique about goldfish and owning
them. Perhaps in time, a corrected version would be more appreciated.
Thanks to Bookpleasures and Candlewick for offering this book to review for my honest opinion.