Dear Fish by Chris Gall

The first thing that struck me about this book were the illustrations. They have a very textured look and feel to them that is very unique for a picture book. The illustrations are also very colorful, and use lots of lines, shading, and depth to give them depth. The storyline of Dear Fish is extremely surreal and definitely based in fantasy. It is also worth noting that this is by far the funniest picture book I have read in a long time. The premise of the narrative is that a young boy throws a message in a bottle into the ocean inviting fish to his house. By the time he is getting ready for school the next day there are fish in the bathtub, whales in the neighbors front yard, and sharks at the local rodeo. The story is also written very rhythmically and tends to have a flow that is reminiscent of poetry. For example, on every page that describes the fish there are four very descriptive words (i.e. "dripping, flipping, flopping, gurgling"). Overall, the story and illustrations are very entertaining and the story has a wonderful twist ending. I would definitely recommend this picture book to young readers with an imagination.