The Birthday Fish Book

Cynthia loved ponies. All she could think about was ponies. Every birthday Cynthia wished for a pony and every birthday she got something else.

An adorable new picture book about an unlikely friendship

Cynthia has always wanted a pony of her very own and is sure her parents will give her one for her birthday. But to her dismay, they give her a goldfish instead. Determined to get rid of it, she puts the fish in her doll stroller and sets off toward the lake. But during the walk, Cynthia discovers that this is a little fish with a big personality- could it be even better than having a pony?

Publishers Weekly

Cynthia "just knew" she would get a pony for her fifth birthday, "and she would name him Marigold." But the polka-dot box she receives is too small for a horse, and instead contains a globular fishbowl and an orange fish with scalloped red fins. In a move that could give readers the wrong idea about fish care, the disappointed Cynthia begins tipping the fishbowl into the sink, and reconsiders only when her new pet protests. Like the magical fish of the fairy tale, it promises, "I will give you what you wish for [in this case, two ponies] if you will take me to a lake and set me free." Cynthia promptly sticks the bowl in a stroller and heads lakeward, meanwhile protecting the fish from a cat and some roughhousing boys, sprinkling some food in its water and shading it from the noonday sun. As in his artwork for Bittle, whose cat and dog mistrust a family's new baby, Yaccarino shows a bond developing. After a long trek, Cynthia and the fish watch the sunset by the lake and she matter-of-factly says, "Let's go home now, Marigold." In his characteristic unmuddied palette, smooth paint surfaces and ovoid, lava-lamp shapes, Yaccarino crafts a story of friendship and acceptance. Ages 3-6. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.