Review of Alfie's Attack

[M Grogan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Alfie's Attack" by David Bohline.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Alfie’s Attack by David Bohline is a delightful and informative children’s story with an unexpected twist. Alfie is a colorful fish with asthma who loves playing in the sea with his friends. Despite his desire to race, Alfie’s friends know that sometimes Alfie worries that swimming will induce an asthma attack. One day, a shark approaches Alfie and plans to eat him for lunch. Alfie quickly swims away to save himself. Then in a surprising twist, it is the shark, and not Alfie, who has an asthma attack. Alfie decides to return to the shark, call for help, and assist the shark in recovering from the asthma attack. By the end of the story, the shark and Alfie bond over their shared medical condition and become friends. I’m tickled that the title of this book has a double meaning. The attack refers to both an asthma attack and a shark attack, both of which are central elements to the plot of this book.

I love how the author portrays Alfie’s character as playful, helpful and brave. Bravery is a lovely theme addressed throughout this short book. Alfie not only faces his asthma with courage, but he also assists the shark despite being frightened of this predator. Hope is another strong theme. The shark and Alfie both have hope that their conditions will improve with time, medication and other treatments.

Overall, I would rate this beautiful story a four out of five, knocking a point off simply for some basic editing issues. This is an engaging children’s book that also teaches some important lessons about bravery, hope and the challenges of living with asthma. At the end of the story, the author includes information about asthma. It is very informative and important. Also, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful, brightly colored, and add a lovely element to the book. I would recommend it for any young child with asthma to read with a trusted adult.

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Alfie's Attack
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