Contents
About The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars
The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars is a book aimed at young children. It encourages them to be brave and follow their dreams. Pesho, the main character, dreams of dancing with the stars but faces adversity. The book answers the question: Will Pesho get to dance with the stars in spite of these obstacles? Barbara Pinke is the author of The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars and Alvin Adhi the book’s illustrator. Fussy Tongue reviews the Kindle edition.
Our perspective of The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars
First, let’s make sure we put in place a big ** Spoiler Alert **
The superbly emotive, playful and appropriate illustration of The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars helps to sell a book with a lovely idea of bravery and self-confidence. The end is as beautiful as expected given such lovely premises.
But, the subject tackled does call for some big words and I wish the author found a way to cut their abstractness to (smaller-mouth) bite-size concept. The story is beautiful and we are happy for the fish who wanted to dance with the stars because it does overcome adversity.
The cautionary tail to this tale
A particular concern as a parent was letting a child go on its own so far from home without knowing of the adversity they could face beyond their mocking peers. This includes the dangers of the sea and the meeting of strange fish. It would have been a great opportunity to show the importance of education in teaching you about your environment so that you are aware of what it has in store, both opportunities and threats. The latter of course would be presented as a further opportunity for bravery but with the tools of safety.
About a Fish named Pesho
I laugh at the research and theory I made about the name of our protagonist: Pesho. I found somewhere that it was the Bulgarian equivalent of Peter. Pesho or Peter means “solid, strong and resolute“. If it is the case, it is the most appropriate name choice for our little hero on a quest beyond his size. And since Bulgaria and Hungary are not too far apart, there might be a chance that they share the name and the meaning!
Good ideas in motion
We loved the idea of a child understanding bravery, overcoming fear and adversity and reaching their dream. But we do feel a little more caution could have been safer. The good ideas of the book do not stop at the story telling. At the end of the book, the author has a little game for those who want a little more.
Conclusion
All in all, the book is a great lesson that would have benefitted from a couple of safety points. The illustration are the greatest piece of marketing, drawing the reader in with their beauty and expressiveness.
Editor’s notes
Barbara Pinke is the author of The Fish who Wanted to Dance With the Stars. Alvin Adhi is responsible for the book’s Illustrations.