Devin Scillian

Our smartmouthed goldfish friend starts out alone in his bowl, where he swims around it--twice. But apparently eager pet owners are adding item after item to it, until he's crowded out. Finally rescued into a separate bowl, he feels relieved, but then worries about his former bowl mates (props for the 'they need me to make guppy bottles and change guppy diapers' line). Fortunately, they are all reunited in a much bigger aquarium, with an additional surprise.
Author Scillian captures a show more child's-- or anybody's-- frustration of being crowded in with a lot of others (and their stuff) as well as the counterbalancing feeling of being part of a family or group with funny dialog, accompanied by Tim Bowers' humorous illustrations. Even my 12 year old smiled and sniggered. show less

With nothing to do but circle his small bowl, the eponymous goldfish hero of this lighthearted picture-book leads such a boring life that if fishes were able to sleep, he'd spend his days napping. Despite this fact, when company first appears, in the form of Mr. Bubbles (a toy figurine attached to a tube), he is less than pleased. Things only go from bad to worse however, as more additions - a garden of water plants, Mervin the slime-eating snail, Fred the grouchy crab, two guppies named show more Rhoda and Clark, and an angelfish named Cha-Cha - make the bowl ever more crowded. Driven to distraction by his new bowl-mates, the goldfish finally breaks down, shouting that the bowl is his, and he wants it back! But when it appears that his wish has been granted, and he finds himself alone again, he discovers that solitude isn't everything he'd hoped - especially as he can't stop worrying about his erstwhile companions!

I appreciated the message in Memoirs of a Goldfish - that it's important to learn to share space with others, and that sometimes we can need company without knowing it, and benefit from companions without realizing it - and I thought the colorful, cartoon-style artwork by Tim Bowers was very engaging. I'm not sure I loved it quite as much as many of the other reviewers - I think I expected something more along the lines of Jackie French's Diary of a Wombat, which had me in stitches - because while I could see that the goldfish's building frustration might make for a hilarious read for some, I just wasn't that amused myself. Humor tends to be intensely idiosyncratic, though, so mileage will vary. Recommended to young children who are having difficulty sharing, who enjoy animal stories, or who appreciate silly tales. show less

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian, Illustrated by Tim Bowers
Sleeping Bear Press (2010), 32 pages

Memoirs of a Goldfish is a picture book written by Devin Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers. Memoirs belongs in the category of Modern Fantasy mostly because of the presence of sentient talking fish. Goldfish enjoys swimming around his bowl and he enjoys his solitude. However, his perfect little life changes when things keep getting added to his bowl. At first it's a scuba diver that show more just stands there and does nothing. Then, a snail comes in to start cleaning up the bowl. After that, more fish and a crab and plants keep getting added, ruining Goldfish's perfect world of solitude.

I really liked the way that this book was written. Memoirs of a Goldfish uses the conceit of Goldfish narrating the book in a journal style. For example: "Day One: I swam around my bowl. Day Two: I swam around my bowl. Twice." The book is really funny as Goldfish becomes more and more flustered as more fish enter his bowl, until they all disappear and he realizes that he had come to like and care for his new family, which lets the book end on a very sweet note. The illustrations are kind of stylized with Goldfish having big and expressive eyes, which lends to the comedy and heart. I really recommend this book as a fun story about how we can become attached to the things that drive us crazy. show less

I really liked this book for multiple reasons. I really enjoyed the diary layout the author uses to immediately introduce the goldfish’s thoughts and the environment. For example, the author wrote, “Day One: I swam around my bowl. Day Two: I swam around my bowl. Twice.” Later the author describes the pessimistic thoughts of the goldfish. “Day Six: Today my bowl looks like a garden. There are a bunch of plants in here now. I guess I'll have to water them. Great.” The writing works show more with the illustrations that also help to describe the fish’s thoughts and the environment. The illustrations show an empty bowl for the first couple days, and then feature humorous facial expression the goldfish has when each family member is added. Both elements carry on to show the goldfish’s change of heart.
I also liked how the author focused on the diversity of family structure. With the different species and personalities providing diversity within the bowl, this book demonstrates that family does not have to be blood-related but can be a mixture of different people. For example, the goldfish, at first, is upset and dislikes each new family member added. He complains the snail is gross and that the crab is mean. But, by the conclusion, he ends up loving them for their unique qualities. The overall theme of family and diversity in this story allows for students to accept the diversity in their own family. show less