Review by Bertha Jackson -- The Fisherman and his Foundl...

[Bertha Jackson]

[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 Foundlings by Phillip Leighton-Daly is a fictional tale of an old fisherman who lived by the ocean. Ten years after his wife dies from leprosy after helping those who lived in a leper colony, he continues to go to the colony and a mission for orphans to help those in need. The fisherman travels over rough terrain and past the dangerous and violent bushrangers, with his donkey Bill, taking the lepers salmon as salmon oil is good for leprosy. One day he is on his way home, and he comes across an injured merchild whose tail fin has been cut off. He takes her home and nurses her back to health. The merchild has kind feelings for the fisherman as a result of his kindness. The merqueen believes being kind is being weak, and she becomes angry with the merchild and tries to sacrifice her to trap the fisherman. She wants the fisherman’s bones to decorate her palace. Will the merqueen hurt the old fisherman? What will happen to the merchild?

I liked the graphic pictures of the fisherman, merpeople, ships, and the ocean that the book entails. They enhance the written descriptions of the characters and their surroundings, and small children will enjoy them. I also liked how the book is written in the third-person tense and reads like a fairytale. It is easy to imagine that you are there and a part of the story. The fisherman’s kindness and care of the merchild, orphans, and lepers are inspiring to the reader.

There was nothing to dislike about the book. The book is well-written and only has two small errors that do not distract from the reading. The plot flows smoothly and is easy to follow.

The two small errors were missing words that could easily have been overlooked by a professional editor. The errors are missing words that make the sentences awkward but I am not going to officially count them as errors. For this reason, I believe the book has been edited by a professional editor. Due to the beautiful illustrations and the flow of the book, I am giving the book 4 out of 4 stars.

I recommend this short, 44-page book to children or anyone who believes in mermaids. However, some young children may need help understanding some of the terminology used by the author. For example, some children may not know what a monolith is. There is nothing in this delightful book that could be considered offensive. There is a small amount of violence but nothing overly graphic.

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The Fisherman and his Foundlings
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[Kasun Perera]

Sounds like a nice book on kindness and helping others. Thanks for the descriptive review

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I recommend this short, 44-page book to children or anyone who believes in mermaids. However, some young children may need help understanding some of the terminology used by the author. For example, some children may not know what a monolith is. There is nothing in this delightful book that could be considered offensive. There is a small amount of violence but nothing overly graphic.

Maybe small children could read this with the aid of a parent or caregiver because the fantastic atmosphere of Merpeople and the message about generosity make this an ideal read for kids. Thank you for your review!

[Paluk Pathania]

Books like these can't be disliked. This book is simply so adorable and fun to explore. I'm looking forward to this book. Thanks for your recommendation!