Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike

Cynthia Rylant

Book - 2017

Five guppies love their life in a little girl's fish tank until some new additions shake things up.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Beach Lane Books [2017]
Language
English
Main Author
Cynthia Rylant (author)
Other Authors
Mike Austin, 1963- (illustrator)
Edition
First Edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 29 cm
ISBN
9781481445238
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Five happy-go-lucky goldfish friends take center stage in this energetic picture book. With lots of cool stuff (orange gravel, a pirate ship, bubbles), the fish tank is a paradise for the titular quintet. They swim, laugh at a clown fish's jokes, ogle the angelfish, and ignore the snail, until one day Lenny gets stuck in the castle, is freed by the snail, who becomes a hero, and the fish-tank life returns to what it always was . . . so fab. The infectious enthusiasm of the goldfish is brought forth in the playful text, which is full of action verbs and heightened with slyly inserted words that might challenge (ornamental, exotic). Austin's eye-popping digital illustrations handily emphasize the hubbub without clutter or chaos and imbue a fair amount of personality into the characters. The subtle lesson don't overlook those peripheral souls doesn't get in the way of the cheerfulness. Although activity in a fish tank can be fairly limited, this creative team will surely eke out more adventures for this winsome fab five.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Fish buddies Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike live a glorious life in their tank-except on "clean the fish tank day," when they are "unceremoniously plopped into a bowl." But their newly sparkling home is worth it, and things get even better with three additions to the tank: a clownfish, an angelfish, and a fairy castle. When Lenny gets stuck inside the castle, an underdog snail-ignored but always nearby-saves the day. Rylant's text is gushingly enthusiastic ("Can fish-tank life be any more perfect than this? Why, yes!"), and a surplus of sound effects and all-caps display type create the sense of a book quickly moving from readaloud to screamaloud. Austin's multitextured digital cartoons are equally high-energy, combining the crispness of collage with bold shades of pink, orange, purple, and blue. Underneath the geeked-up antics is a subtle reminder that even when life seems downright blissful, there are some (like a certain overlooked snail) who could use a little attention and care. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Rylant has always had a fondness for animals (and the Beatles!), and here she has created a sweet story about the five "fab" fish that live in a girl's large sparkling aquarium. For the fish, every day is "heaven." They love the diver, the bubbles, and the pirate ship that decorate their tank. Bad days only occur when the little girl cleans the tank; however, after one cleaning day, they get three special surprises-two new fish (a clownfish and an angelfish) and a fairy castle. However, one of the fish immediately gets trapped in the castle, and it is up to an overlooked snail that also lives in the tank to save the day. Children will enjoy the rhyming names of the fish, the repetition (plop, plop), the multitude of exclamation marks, and the use of oversize words at critical points in the story. Austin's bright and colorful cartoons complement the bouncy text well. The original fish have expressive eyes, front fins that almost look like hands, and bright pink lips. The face of the snail, when he realizes that he can be the hero, is a wonderful blend of charming, goofy, and gross. Finally, Austin sets off scenes that take place in the tank with swirls of blue paint and bubblelike circles on the edges while using a plain white background for scenes outside of the tank. VERDICT A cheerful, engaging story, perfect for reading aloud to younger children.--Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Pet-fish owners will be amused by the small drama in Rylant's funny tale about five effervescent fish who think life in their tank is "FAB!" As often happens in picture books, the previously unadmired cast member (a snail) saves the day when the tank's new castle proves hazardous. Austin's digital illustrations in attention-grabbing tropical colors make this small underwater world look, indeed, fab. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Aquarium life is anything but boringit's "FAB!"Five orange fish named Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike meet in a pet shop; a little girl takes them home and plops them in a tank. There is something for everyone in the tank: gravel, diver, rock, pirate ship, bubblesoh, and a snail no one cares much about. Their days consist of swimming and gulping and smacking kisses at the little girl (depicted with light brown skin and straight, black hair). Until tank cleaning day! After the indignities of being stuck in a bowl, the tank and everything in it is clean! Fab! It gets even better: "PLOP!" In drops a clownfish; he's so funny! And then: "PLOP!" In drops an angelfish; she's so beautiful! Then comes the fairy castle! "It is enchanting. / It is ornamental. / It is exotic. / It is // A TRAP!" Lenny gets stuck in the door. Who can save him? None of the fishbut the snail no one cares for has an idea! Rylant's perky exploration of pet fish life is delightfully enthusiastic and dotted with onomatopoeia. The appealing fish (and snail) are surprisingly expressive in Austin's digitally created illustrations, which incorporate much of the text in large, capital collaged-in letters. The illustrations of aquarium life from the inside are cartoony and bright and resemble a mix of collage and watercolor. Budding aquaculturists will enjoy this tale of friendship from a fish-eye view. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.