From Publishers Weekly
Right from the cover image, fans of Mama, Do You Love Me? will recognize Lavallee's enchanting watercolors of the frozen North. Franklin's (The Old, Old Man and the Very Little Boy) resonant tale of an unusual fishing expedition opens with a lyrical description of the setting: "In a place by the sea, where the winters are wet and the summers are cool and tall trees stand guard like soldiers along the shoreline..." Young Jimmy Joe is thrilled when wise Fish Woman offers to take him out in her boat. When the boy announces that he plans to catch a big salmon, the mysterious woman remarks that she knows about "something even better than salmon." Jimmy Joe catches a giant Chinook, but when a pod of playful whales approaches their boat, he suddenly understands Fish Woman's words, "When the great Wolves of the Sea choose to show themselves, it is a gift." Lavallee's stylized paintings feature sparks of warm red and gold against a cool palette of soft blues, grays and greens. Like the narrative, the art works on several levels, depicting the austere beauty of the locale while conveying the mystical quality of the child's encounter with the whales. An affecting reflection on the meaning of giving. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Lavallee's striking watercolors with stylized rounded figures will draw readers to this picture book about a young boy's fishing trip with an elder known as "Fish Woman." The author and illustrator hint at a Pacific Northwest setting, but no specific place or cultural references are identified. In a story with an ecological twist, the boy, Jimmy Joe, catches a great Chinook but, impressed by the glittering scales and the enormity of the fish, he immediately regrets its capture. When a pod of killer whales approaches their boat, a solution to the youngster's mixed feelings is at hand: the two companions return the giant fish to the sea to provide a meal for the whales. As the large creatures disappear from view, the boy decides that seeing the "great Wolves of the Sea" is "better than catching a salmon." The story requires some small suspension of disbelief. Although one can accept that a child might be awed and chastened by the beauty of a freshly caught fish and be willing and even eager to return it to the sea, it is tougher to imagine that he would be willing to give it to a whale for lunch. Nevertheless, this lapse in logic will not deter most readers. The book succeeds as both a literary and visual fable.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
