FICTION

Swallow the Leader

by Danna SMITH
illus. by Kevin Sherry. 32p. Clarion. Sept. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780544105188.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Through the ocean, fish after fish begins to play follow the leader. But when the line gets to 10, they all decide to play a new game: swallow the leader. Counting down from 10 to one, each fish is swallowed by the fish behind it until Shark has swallowed them all. No worries, though. Shark burps, and all of the fish come tumbling out to play their game again. This is a fun counting book with rhyming text that details the marine adventures as the fish add new members to their group. The illustrations are a mixture of traditional Sherry-style drawings done on multicolored papers that are sometimes solid and other times textured. Other details are added in a collage fashion, including seaweed and puffer fishes.
VERDICT Readers will enjoy listening to the story and counting up and down as fish are added and swallowed. As the shark quips, "Delish!"
Reviewed by Paige Garrison, Augusta Richmond County Library System, GA
An underwater exploration with a read-aloud-perfect counting rhyme nearly turns deadly when a school of fish playing follow-the-leader encounters the top of their food chain; one by one the shark eats ten fish until a "BURRRP!" brings them all back. Bright, playful illustrations--created in layers using watercolor backgrounds, paper cutouts, and paint on acetate sheets--match the book's silly tone.
 , Sep 01, 2016

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