Audio of the Week: Fish (unabr.)
From SLJ December 2004
B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library, Sag Harbor, NY -- School Library Journal, 12/6/2004
2 cassettes or 3 CDs. 3:30 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape (www.library.booksontape.com). 2004. cassette, ISBN 1-4000-8521-7: $23; CD, ISBN 1-4000-8988-3: $30.
Gr 4-8–Tiger and his presumably British parents live in a war-torn, drought-ravaged, unnamed country, providing help and medical attention to the poverty-stricken villagers in this novel by L.S. Matthews (Delacorte, 2004). As the political situation worsens, the family must leave the country. Unfortunately, the borders have been closed due to masses of refugees. Thus begins an incredibly arduous journey across an arid, mountain-strewn land. The addition of Guide, who lost his family in the war, and his reliable donkey makes the group complete. Tiger narrates the tale. On the day they must leave, the child finds a little fish in what was once a pond, that is still alive. The continued survival of Fish, who Tiger brings on the journey, becomes of utmost importance and symbolic of his own and the group of traveler’s survival. All of the players are well drawn, particularly Tiger, who views the adults’ actions with varying reactions—bewilderment, irritation, dry humor, and loving acceptance. The travelers encounter a number of dangers, including a trio of vicious soldiers and the mud flats that can swallow a person whole. Jenna Lamia narrates in a way that successfully keeps up the conceit of whether Tiger is a boy or a girl. she flawlessly maintains the British accent and brings the endearing narrator to life. This is a highly recommended recording, both as an allegorical tale about the effects of poverty and war and as a treatise on the perseverance and righteousness of human and animal spirit.
