Lerch

I discovered this book right before I sent my order list and hastily squished it on! I've looked at a couple other books by James Proimos, including Todd's TV, that didn't quite work for me. This one does! Very much so. When I opened it up, I just had to start reading it out loud and I can't wait to perform it with a storytime group!

Lerch, a little fish with a big mouth, wants a friend. He swim, swim, swims up and down, looking for one. The pebbles? No. The diving figure? No. The bubbles? Oh show more no! The cat? The cat! Why not? And if the cat wants to call him "Lunch" instead of Lerch, well...

There's not really a logical storyline here, but who cares? We just want to read it with funny faces and make all the kids yell "Swim Swim" in unison!

Postscript: We read this in storytime and made swimmy fish motions with our hands - up or down according to Lerch's direction. Hilarious! Delightful!

Verdict: Highly recommended. Buy it for your library, read it in storytime, read it to your staff (with appropriate funny faces) and perform it for bored 5th grade classes. Snicker. show less

Lerch is a fish in search of a new friend and while pebbles, bubbles and that undersea statuette have no interest, he eventually finds a new friend to swim, swim with. James Promios is such an underrated talent--his characters are expressive and his writing is witty, hilarious and sweet all at the same time.

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I don't know how I missed this book but I'm so glad my coworker found it and added it to the library order. Swim! Swim! is funny and engaging picture book that kids of all ages will enjoy. Our lonely hero Lerch is simply looking for a friend. He asked the pebbles, the sunken diver, and the bubbles from the water filter to be his friend, but they just ignored him. (He even tried talking in bubble, but to no avail.)

Just when Lerch thought it was official that show more nobody liked him, someone popped up that really seemed to like him. The cat. It's ok that the cat thinks his name is "Lunch" instead of Lerch, he could work with that. The exchange between Lerch and the cat was really cute and is bound to have younger readers yelling warnings at the page. Just when it looks like Lerch is about to be eaten, the cat drops him and says "Meet dinner!". It seems our hero has been dropped into a new fish bowl containing Dinah. It's love and friendship at first sight (even the cat says "Awww.") and they swim around happily ever after while holding each other's fin.

Proimos' simple but energetic illustrations and exuberant story are reminiscent of Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie series. Plus this is my type of story - a great read aloud that lets you throw in all types of sniffling and assorted dramatics. The text is simple enough that younger readers can read to their family (some words might require prompting). I would also recommend it to some of my older elementary students to read to their younger siblings.

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Lerch is goldfish who wants a friend but it is difficult since he's the only fish in his tank. He decides to search for a friend so he swims around his tank. He talks to the gravel, the plastic undersea diver, and the bubbles, but sadly none of them response to him. When he starts to feel that he's as lonely as a fish can be (in a beautiful empty two-page spread), a cat outside the tank comes and talks to him. Young reader will think that the cat will eat Lerch when he calls him Lunch show more instead of Lerch, but the end turns into a beautiful love story when Lerch finds a girl fish in the other tank. The large font, the bright color, and the few words that are used in this book, make this simple story of friendship and love really accessible to young readers show less