Clara and Asha

If you had a favorite stuffed animal that you cherished when you were little, or, if you looked at an object and made it become real in your imagination, then you might appreciate this book. Clara sits in her bed and blows bubbles from a container, when opening her bedroom window, she allows a pet fish to enter. She saw this image in the park fountain where it was spouting water. Now, she brought that image home and in her mind, allowed it to become real.

Then, she obtains a real life fish and places it in a glass bowl on the table where it is introduced to her other critter family members.

Highly creative, I give this book four stars.

I had an imaginary friend. He was a nameless bumble bee who lived in my pocket. He was always there with me when I needed a little help to be brave. He was there for the big stuff, like walking to school alone when my best friend Gail was sick, and for the little childhood stresses, like taking a math test. As I recall, he didn�t have a name, but he sure was a great buddy. He doesn�t live in my pocket any longer, but I can�t remember when he moved on, most likely to help another youngster through a tough day.

In Clara and Asha, Clara has an imaginary friend named Asha. Clara is a fish � a really big fish � picture a Great Lakes� sturgeon - who comes to play with Clara as she prepares for bed and goes to sleep. Clara met Asha show more while playing in the park, and Asha does all sorts of things with Clara. Asha takes a bath before Clara, thus keeping Clara from hopping right into the tub and, thereby, delaying bedtime a bit. Asha plays with Clara and her other imaginary friends, helps Clara with her Halloween costume in the fall, goes sledding with Clara in the winter, and gives Clara an extra hug when it is really, really time to go to sleep.

But the best thing about Asha is that Asha takes Clara flying through the night sky � on a bubble! After flying and observing the neighborhood of Clara�s real world, Asha takes Clara home to bed and hugs her goodnight. Of course, Clara doesn�t immediately drift off to sleep because she is then visited by another friend of hers � a friendly alligator who comes in through Clara�s bedroom window.

The simple story of Clara and Asha is delightful, but the best part about Eric Rohmann�s book is the illustrations. Rohmann�s pictures, originally done in oils, make bedtime, the dark, and an open window seems friendly and comforting to Clara. And they could do that for any child experiencing the book with or without an adult reader. The illustrations tell the story so well that reading the words of the story is just an added bonus. In fact, when I first had the book in my hands, I found myself looking at pictures and not reading the words. And, by the way, I now want to fly on a bubble. I think you will, too.

Reviewed by Jen show less

A beautiful, imaginative book about a little girl who doesn't want to go to sleep. Something children and parents can relate to, the bedtime reluctance fancifully leads to adventures with Asha, a large fish. Her imagination is insurmountable, as when Asha has to "leave" another friend enters.

Awesome story about a child's bond with their imaginary friends. The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful and add to the surrealism and imagination of a child's head. This wold be a great story for free time or a great read just before nap time.

Clara and Asha is a beautiful picture book, and it's illustrations take the reader on a journey through the imagination of Clara. Even though the pictures are a bit on the darker side, it fits perfectly with the storyline. When I think of using my imagination, the imagery seems distorted, and not very clear. I think the author chose the darker colors for that purpose, to bring the book to life, to make the book feel as though everything Clara encounters is true and believable. I really enjoyed the illustrations and admiring the innocence of just being a child through Clara's many journeys.

My 4-year-old son really enjoys this story of "that magic fish" (as he calls Asha). Asha is the perfect imaginary friend with whom to have an adventure. The illustrations are beautiful, soothing, and great for bedtime by lamplight. My only objection is the portrayal of Asha helping Clara with her Halloween fisherman costume. I find it hard to believe that any fish would, just for fun, agree to play as if it is about to be murdered by a fisherman. I guess the fantasy is Clara's, though, and she may not realize yet that fish don't want to be caught. Other than that, I thought this was a perfect little kids book.

I haven't read a lot of books with an imaginary friend as a main character, and I found Clara and Asha to be a cute little story. The fact that Asha was not just a fish, but a giant fish was particularly enjoyable. There isn't text on every page, some of the story moves along through the illustrations only. I like books that have large portions that are image focused, as I think it forces children to think more about what's happening in the story. It would be fun to use this book, or a similar book to have a class write their own dialogue for the text-less pages.