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The only fish in the sea / written by Philip C. Stead ; illustrated by Matthew Cordell.

By: Stead, Philip Christian [author.].
Contributor(s): Cordell, Matthew, 1975- [illustrator.].
Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Roaring Brook Press, [2017]Copyright date: ©2017Edition: First edition.Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 28 cm.Content type: text | still image Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9781626722828; 162672282X.Subject(s): Goldfish -- Juvenile fiction | Fishes -- Juvenile fiction | Animal rescue -- Juvenile fiction | Goldfish -- Fiction | Fishes -- Fiction | Animal rescue -- Fiction | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Fishes | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Friendship | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Emotions & Feelings | Animal rescue -- Fiction | Fishes -- FictionGenre/Form: Picture books.Online resources: Cover image Summary: Sadie and Sherman set out to rescue little Ellsworth, the goldfish Amy Scott received for her birthday and threw right into the ocean.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Book Bellmawr Fiction Children E Ste (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000009457230
Book Book Ferry Ave. Fiction Children E Ste (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000009457685
Book Book Gloucester Twp. Fiction Children E Ste (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000009457487
Book Book Haddon Twp. Fiction Children E Ste (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 04/16/2024 05000009457644
Book Book South County Fiction Children E Ste (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000009457560
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Did you hear about little Amy Scott? She got a goldfish for her birthday and then just threw it in the ocean! That doesn't seem right.

I guess Sherman and Sadie will have to go save little Ellsworth (every fish deserves a proper name) on their own. They'll need:

A boat
Fishing gear
Twenty-one pink balloons
A bucket of paint
And
Appropriate headwear in case of weather--good or bad

Don't worry. Ellsworth is in good hands now, but what ever happened to little Amy Scott?

Join Sadie ( Special Delivery ) on another adventure in The Only Fish in the Sea , a delightful picture book by Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell.

A Neal Porter Book

"A Neal Porter Book."

Sadie and Sherman set out to rescue little Ellsworth, the goldfish Amy Scott received for her birthday and threw right into the ocean.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Sadie, the inimitable hero of Special Delivery, has returned. Her arrow-straight sense of justice sends her in search of a birthday goldfish that Little Amy Scott has thrown into the sea, plastic bag and all. Sadie's friend Sherman and the hilarious gang of monkeys from Special Delivery sprint to keep up as Sadie borrows a boat, plots a route, and sets off; her supreme confidence delivers them to precisely the right spot in the ocean, and Ellsworth ("Every fish deserves a proper name," Sadie declares) is rescued in the nick of time. The monkeys' mayhem is beautifully choreographed, Sherman is promoted to a full-fledged character, and Sadie's obliviousness to nautical danger provides a keen sense of fun. (A fine Cordell split screen shows Sadie pouring Sherman a civilized cup of tea as a sperm whale threatens to upend the craft from below.) Stead never takes Sadie's campaign for virtue too seriously, yet her shining sense of justice lingers long after the silliness subsides. Ages 3-6. Author's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. Illustrator's agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-With comic urgency, a boy races on his bicycle to tell his friend Sadie the story of spoiled Little Amy Scott, who declared that her birthday goldfish was BORING and walked across town to unceremoniously throw it off the dock. The boy, Sherman, asks Sadie if she could imagine that poor fish, still in its bag and floating away, bringing the prologue to an end and spurring Sadie into action. She names the fish Ellsworth, plots a course, and gathers fishing gear, weather-appropriate clothes, a bucket of paint, and 21 pink balloons. A half-dozen monkeys join the kids on their journey as crewmen, adding to the zaniness established by the loose pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Readers will admire Sadie's unflappable, no-nonsense response to the dangers at sea, though this is just one of the many gloriously funny details. -VERDICT A contemporary tall tale fueled by the characters' genuine caring and heart. Best read one-on-one to feast on the clever cartoon artwork.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* The creators of Special Delivery (2015) offer another adventuresome odyssey, undertaken to bring a stranger to a welcoming new home. When snotty Little Amy Scott rejects a birthday goldfish by chucking it into the sea, still in its plastic bag, young Sherman imagining, in Stead's sonorous narrative, that poor fish all alone, floating away, and away, and away, and away joins his briskly can-do friend Sadie in a rowboat rescue. In exuberant, Quentin Blake-style watercolors, Cordell inserts a crew of monkeys in Jack Tar dress, a comical cast of sailors who also help the two gather the necessary nautical gear. After weathering high seas, a giant squid, and other watery hazards, the rescuers bring the finny refugee to a town-fountain haven. When he is hungry, we will feed him, Sadie promises, as smiling residents gather round. And when he is lonely, we will keep him company. (Compassionate to the last, Sherman wonders about Little Amy: She'll spend her birthday alone, Sadie sniffs. And that's all right.) This is comforting fare for children, especially those who themselves have been cast adrift, and sensitive readers in more secure situations may even spare some sympathy for Little Amy.--Peters, John Copyright 2017 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Not quite a fish story, but one with broad humor in text and illustrations, Stead and Cordells (Special Delivery, rev. 3/15) latest collaboration invites careful looking and sure laughter. Front-matter pages get the story started with a boy named Sherman pedaling determinedly on his bicycle toward the first page-turn. Hes on a mission to tell his friend Sadie about Little Amy Scott, who has just rudely rejected a goldfish as a birthday present and then unceremoniously tossed the poor thing (still in a plastic baggie) into the sea. He must feel like the only fish in the sea, worries sensitive Sherman. Sadie, ably fixing her own bike, is the clear opposite of snooty Little Amy Scott, and she immediately sets off to rescue the goldfish, whom she dubs Ellsworth because every fish deserves a proper name. The two friends gather an odd array of supplies with the help of a band of monkeys that goes unmentioned in the text but whose antics, in Cordells energetic ink-and-watercolor illustrations, add much to the storys humor. Throughout, Cordells style is reminiscent of Quentin Blakes work, with comically perilous seafaring scenes that recall the Miss Armitage picture books. Meanwhile, Steads text contains echoes of Dahls writing, with moments of dark humor, a satisfying comeuppance for Little Amy Scott, and a surfeit of heart in the child heroes rescue of lost Ellsworth. megan dowd lambert (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Stead and Cordell take their readers on a big adventure to save a tiny fish. A tall black boy named Sherman has big news to share with a pigtailed white girl named Sadie: bratty white birthday girl Amy Scott has decreed that goldfish are pass. Amy is so emphatic she's thrown her birthday goldfish, still in its baggie, into the sea. Sadie disagrees, and aided by a band of chicly-dressed monkeys, she and Sherman begin an adventure to rescue the abandoned goldfish. The combination of Sadie's steadfast confidence and Sherman's facial reactions drive the story to a celebratory conclusion that brings the entire town (and an ostrich) together. Stead's dialogue-only text is concise and dryly humorous, conveying both Sadie's calm determination and humorous quips. Cordell's artworka vigorously scratchy mixture of ink and watercolorbrings the characters to life. The presentation ranges from expansive details of sea life to quick sketches of action, but the focal point is always Sherman and his quiet fear as the adventure persists. Children will love examining each page to see the escapades of the monkey companions as they travel alongside the duo. The detailed artwork is better suited for lap-sit reads than large storytimes, and this may become a favorite part of the "getting ready for bed" ritual in many homes. Readers who are looking for more moxie in their lives will love this absurd adventure. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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