Review of The Fisherman and his Foundlings

[Samantha Brehm]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fisherman and his Foundlings" by Phillip Leighton-Daly.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Fisherman and His Foundling by Phillip Leighton-Daly follows an old man as he lives his everyday life. His wife passed away a while ago, and now he fishes almost entirely to help support the leprosy colony nearby. Leighton-Daley takes us through his trek to get from his home to the colony and all the challenges that entail. One day he finds an injured merchild and attempts to rescue her. The merpeople are known for their cruelty and lack of feeling for others. The old man cares for the merchild and nurses her back to health. Is this lone merchild a ploy for a greater purpose, and will the old man be able to stay true to his kind nature?

Right from the beginning, my favorite part of this book is the artwork. It is incredibly well done and stunning. It ultimately makes the story and makes you feel like you are a part of this journey with the old man. The story itself was well done and held a strong message. I enjoyed the old man’s character and his purpose to help the colony. His interactions with the colony children were genuine and selfless.

The only negative I have for this book is that it was quite a bit darker than I thought it would be. I was not expecting the themes to be as grim as they were portrayed. The merqueen was evil, and Leighton-Daley did not shy away from describing that. It didn’t detract from the book; I was just not expecting it for what is described as a book for juvenile children. I also wanted to know more about what became of the merqueen. She was a fascinating character, and I wanted to learn more about her at the end of the book.

I rate The Fisherman and His Foundling a 4 out of 4 stars. Leighton-Daley writes a well-edited and thoughtful book with a beautiful message at the end. The artwork captivated me from the get-go, and the writing didn’t disappoint from there. The message that Leighton-Daley gets through in this book is terrific, and it is written in such an unexpected way.

I would recommend this book for teens and young adults. It is described as being written for juvenile children, but there is challenging vocabulary and some very heavy and dark themes that I wouldn’t consider appropriate for younger children. I think this would be a good read for adults as well because the message is essential. As we grow older, we forget what really matters in life, and this book is an excellent reminder of that.

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The Fisherman and his Foundlings
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