Hide! (I Like to Read)

A fish jumps out of their fishbowl and into the ocean and (almost) ends up eaten!...Told mostly through narrative text of sentences of five words or less, this entry in the I Like to Read series shares its companions' generous trim size. Some dialogue is conveyed via speech bubbles, and a larger font is used to convey emotion. In fewer than 30 words, Henry creates a bright, cheerful ocean world. The characters are expressive and inviting--even the scary shark is depicted smiling. The art, created using ink and paint, is boldly outlined and set against simple, gradated backgrounds.
A delightful dip into reading.

PreS-Gr 1--In this beginning reader, two friends--Mike the elephant and Pat the fish--go on a boat ride together. While Mike naps, Pat sees other fish in the ocean, and jumps out of his bowl to join them for some fun. But the arrival of a shark makes for a little too much excitement, and Mike must jump in to save Pat. When Mike begins to run out of air, their new fish friends must help both Mike and Pat to the surface and, once back in the boat, conclude with a nap together. The author conveys so much action, excitement, and humor through the cartoon illustrations while keeping the text of the story simple enough for very beginning readers, who will more than likely want to revisit the story a second or third time. VERDICT This is a solid choice for those beginning to recognize sight words and visual clues. A winner for most easy reader collections.--Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

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