Derek by Anne Donaldson illustrated by Matt Shanks

Bookseller blurb: Derek is a fish with many questions. Why is the universe round? Where do bubbles come from? Why does food rain down from above? But the question Derek asks himself more than any other is: ‘Why am I alone?’

I actually gasped when I turned the page and read that question - Why am I alone?

The solution is unexpected, delightful and hilarious.

Derek is a debut picture book for Anne Donaldson (her book/s will be in good company on your library shelves beside the famous Julia Donaldson!) and here are other books illustrated by Matt Shanks. 

Here is part of the ReadPlus review:

The wonderfully sparse illustrations are full of extra inferential information and make brilliant use of perspective and proportion. The front cover foreshadows Derek as a curious, wide-eyed fish in a big world. Observant endpaper readers know from the beginning of the story where Derek is (a pet fish shop) but it is never explicitly said.  Derek is a curious fish; among other things he wants to know why the (his) universe is round and why the (his) earth is pink. ...  The big creatures that Derek sees 'when food rains down' are shown just as a giant hand (as would be seen by Derek) and poor Derek is desperate to know why he is all alone. Adventurous Derek decides to make contact with the big creatures above but try as he might they are never that interested in him. There's a great little goldfish joke here as it is noted 'they must have very short attention spans'. 

Derek is a 2026 CBCA Early Childhood Picture Book Notable title. I have not read all of the 2026 Notables in this category, but I am hoping Derek will make the shortlist of six. 

Here are the judges' comments:

Check out this post from Kinderbookswitheverything where you will find lots more goldfish books. 

Companion books:

Paul meets Bernadette

Aquarium

Poor Fish isn't directly linked with Derek but it is a wonderful book to read aloud to Grade One or Two

For middle primary readers try to find these two books (short novel and a picture book):

Growing Home (Highly recommended)

Whale in a fishbowl

Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon

Days are for watching listening playing planning but

nights are for adventure

Houdini the octopus is a girl but in the world of this book, which we see through her eyes, she refers to herself as we (due to the fact octopuses have nine brains).

Not Welcome

Our nine Octopus brains have a lot we'd like

to say to the Waves of People who

come every day to stare and gawk to

squeak and squawk to squeal to bang on our glass

we'd have a lot to say if only they

knew how to listen

The first thing we'd say is

GO AWAY!

Houdini lives in an aquarium. It is not large and I find that so awful:

We want to say that in the day we

do not hunt at all. The Sea is so very

big so very full but our tank is so

very small so

very empty.

Far too empty

for too small for

hunting.

Like being safe is all

that matters. Like a tank two arms long in

all directions is

any kind of Home. Like

the bubbles from the pump

are enough of an ebb and flow to make us happy

when we know

to be happy is to be free.

Her keeper (is that the right term) is named Paul. In fact I dislike that title keeper - and I am not a fan at all of animals in captivity so I come to this story with a high level of empathy and also quite a bit of rage. Have you twigged about the name Houdini - yes she is an escape artist and who can blame her. Octopuses are not meant to languish in an aquarium for our (human) viewing pleasure. She needs to get back into the ocean - think about the title - her heart needs to hear the song of a thousand seas. 

Luckily Houdini is very clever and yes she can escape but she also knows she has to be very careful of Paul because he is sure to 'fortify' her tank even more and then escape might be impossible. Then we discover Houdini has two human friends, Joe the cleaner and Juno, Paul's daughter, and they do have enough emotional intelligence and also enough understanding of the plight of animals in captivity to know Houdini needs her freedom. I think this is because Joe and Juno also have experienced pain. 

Every night Houdini tries to find her way to the pipes in the bathroom because they lead to the sea but she doesn't quite make it before she needs to be back in the water and so Joe carefully carries her back to her tank. As a reader I was holding my breath hoping that she would make it and be free again. 

Zana Fraillon is one of Australia’s most interesting writers for young children, experimenting with form and voice and offering layered and intelligent narratives. ‘Song of a Thousand Seas’ is a lyrical verse novel of homecoming and friendship focusing on Houdini the octopus who lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild sea. This is a thought provoking and compelling story ideal for readers aged 8-12, and a great read aloud for teachers. Paul Macdonald 

Here are some very detailed teachers notes.

Do you ever think about author names? I think the name Zana Fraillon is a perfect one for an author. It sounds exotic and mysterious to me. Also I am giving this cover by Aviva Reed top marks - it is fantastic. Australia is a relatively small country and yes I agree we do have some really good authors who write for children but there are a few that are way beyond just good - authors whose work can stand up with the very best in the world - one of those authors is Zana Fraillon. Make sure you pop this book onto your library shelves - the readers in our lives and libraries deserve to read the very best books and this is one of them.

You can see Zana Fraillon talking about her book on this video. Houdini was a real octopus - you must share this with the readers in your library. Thank you to University of Queensland Press (UQP) for sending an advance copy of Song of a Thousand Seas (due for publication 2nd September 2025)

LAUNCH - Song Of a Thousand Seas will be officially launched! Come join the wonderful @kmildenhall and me in conversation @readingskids in Carlton on Saturday the 6th of September from 2pm. There will be sea stones to decorate, awesome octopus tattoos, cupcakes and an octopus quiz with octopus prizes so be sure to brush up on all those octopus facts! All books signed will include the one of a kind ‘signature’ by the real Houdini. Tickets are free, but registrations are necessary.

I have talked about lots of verse novels here on this blog - click that search term on my sidebar.

Companion books:

My Friend the Octopus

Odder

The One and Only Ivan (look for the sequels too)

In 2018 Zana Fraillon's book The Bone Sparrow was our IBBY Australia Honour book title. This means her book goes into a very important international book catalogue and also becomes part of a travelling exhibition. 

Zana Fraillon is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning author of books for children and young adults. Zana's books have won the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award, the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, the Readings YA Prize, NSW Premier's Literary Awards and the CBCA Honour Book Award. The Bone Sparrow was chosen as the biennial book to represent Australia for the International Board on Books for Young People. Zana was born and lives in Naarm (Melbourne) but spent her early childhood in San Francisco. She has degrees in history and teaching and is undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing at La Trobe University.

Other books I have talked about by Zana Fraillon:

The Way of Dog

A small collection of Happiness

This should be the CBCA Younger Readers Book of the Year 

but alas it didn't even make the notables list - I am still in shock about that.

The Raven's Song

Very young readers might also look for another book by Zana Fraillon called Etta and the Octopus illustrated by Andrew Joyner. 

Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo

You could begin with the dedication by Marianna Coppo - "To all insomniacs, for one reason or another." - or better yet share this after reading this book with a group of older children and then talk about what this means.

Fish and Crab are tucked up in their aquarium beds. Crab turns out the light. Then Fish hears a noise and his fears bubble to the surface. Could it be an owl? Do owls eat fish? Could it be a mouse? Crab explains there are no owls and no mice in their aquarium also there are "no lions, in case you were wondering." Clearly it is going to be a long night so Crab gets out of bed to make a cup of herbal tea.

"then I want you to tell me ALL your worries. ALL OF THEM, all at once. And when you're done, we will both finally go to sleep."

Fish has a wild imagination involving capture by aliens, black holes, and even the possibility of catching chickenpox. And then he has the most terrifying thought of all:

"WHAT IF WE ARE CHARACTERS IN A BOOK?"

After all this sharing Fish now feels able to fall asleep but what about Crab. His brain is now filled with all of these crazy ideas - will he be able to go to sleep? That final question is an especially disturbing one!

Take a look at the labels I have assigned this book. These might give you ideas about ways to share this book - you could use it as a stimulus for a writing activity involving dialogue. Or with older students there is a whole topic of 'breaking the fourth wall'. And of course, this book is also about the way our worries can take over our thoughts and the importance of sharing.

Now for the bad news. This book [9781797204437] was published in 2023 so it is still in print but here in Australia the price ranges from AUS$32 up to AUS$47.

Silly what-if questions arranged into a light but visually appealing bedtime story. Kirkus 

Parents and children alike will relate to the two best friends, reassuring readers that it is always best to share any worries with those closest to us, to help the fears go away. Coppo’s effective illustrations have a wonderful attention to detail and perfectly capture the conversations and bursts of Fish’s imagination, with clever use of black and white images too. This fun picture book will be one to share and enjoy for many bedtimes to come. Books for Keeps

I previously talked about Petra by Marianna Coppo. Marianna Coppo is an author-illustrator from Italy. She studied editorial illustration at MiMaster in Milan, and now focuses on freelance illustration in Rome.

In this interview Marianna Coppo talks about Petra

Here is another (slightly more serious) book featuring an aquarium:

Aquarium

My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin illustrated by Gordy Wright

"I peered into the top of the hollow pearl. A glint so bright it was as if sunbeams had been captured and sealed inside."

Vinnie (Lavinia) Fyfe works with her mother in a London milliners shop. The year is 1893.  Vinnie is skilled with drawing and her mother uses/exploits this skill to design new hats which she sells to very wealthy customers. Vinnie is not unhappy but Rosamund Fyfe has very strict ideas about behaviour and class. Vinnie has no idea about the level of control her mother has always exerted over her until, just before dawn one day her mother whisks Vinnie away to Brighton leaving her with a distant cousin Aunt Bets. Aunt Bets runs a tea room above the Brighton aquarium. Vinnie is told Rosamund needs to go to Paris and so for the first time in her life Vinnie is left alone. 

"Being Mother’s constant companion meant that I was never really alone, and the thought of finding my own way to the aquarium filled me with new dismay, mainly at myself. I now realised I’d got to twelve years old utterly ill-equipped to deal with this adventure."

On the day of her arrival at the aquarium a new exhibit has arrived - a huge octopus. Vinnie is fascinated by this amazing creature. It takes some bravery but she discovers she has a talent for drawing more than hats. Her sketches of the octopus even appear in a local newspaper. 

This is a story set during Victorian times so of course there is a villan - Mr Jedders - a former employee of their Grosvenor Square shop. He is pursuing Rosamund but Vinnie has no idea why but his manner and violence are very frightening. Luckily Vinnie makes two new, clever, resourceful and wise friends - a young boy called Charlie who is the nephew of Mr Lee head of the aquarium and a young very well educated African girl called Temitayo. The group make a horrible discovery about the green colour used for fabric and ribbons used on the hats her mother makes.  Readers are given a glimpse into the terrible highly dangerous working conditions of children who labour to make this sort-after shade. 

I read this book in one sitting (256 pages). The plot just races along with perfect twists and a heroine who must succeed. The octopus itself is also an interesting character because every animal lover will desperately hope this wild creature can be released back into the ocean. Confinement in a small tank seems so cruel. 

Lindsay weaves mysteries together with ease while immersing us in some of the darker sides of Victorian society, one of which there are sadly all too real comparisons to make with modern day fast fashion – something which is bound to be a talking point beyond the book. Miss Cleveland is Reading

Here is an interview with the author which gives some very interesting insights into the research behind this book. I hope you love the book cover as much as I do. Well done Chicken House - this cover is perfect. Read this review by Lily and the Fae which has an in depth analysis of the plot and links to slavery, class and fashion. 

I loved the tea shop in this book and the scene where they eat Battenberg cake and at the back of the book there is a recipe for petit fours - yum. There are also a couple of terrific scenes in this book about bicycle riding in skirts and bloomers and sea bathing huts on wheels. And the back has extensive notes explaining the historical background used for this story. 

My Friend the Octopus is children’s historical fiction at its best. Lindsay Galvin brilliantly evokes the Victorian era, encompassing fashion, leisure activities, attitudes to women, and the disparity between rich and poor. Victorian Brighton comes alive with its bathing huts, the aquarium, and Italian ice cream served in shells. Get Kids into Books

I am keen to read another book by Lindsay Galvin:

Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso

Aquarium is a story of one young girl's dream to bring home a fish. In her imagination she swims with the fish in the ocean. As she sits day dreaming a bright orange fish leaps onto the jetty. She scoops him into a jar and races home to create an aquarium using every container she can find, each filled with water and connect by tubes and hoses. At the end of the water route she fills her small paddling pool but it is immediately clear the little fish friend needs his freedom. It is such a sweet story moment when she kisses him goodbye before placing him back in the ocean.

I am preparing a talk with Dr Robin Morrow for IBBY Australia as we welcome the IBBY Silent Book collection to our shores. This is a very exciting initiative. There are 67 books in the 2019 Silent Book collection from 16 countries. You can read about some of them in a previous post.

You would expect a 'silent book', or you may prefer the term 'wordless' book, to offer a rich visual experience but Aquarium takes this to another level. I was not surprised to learn that Cynthia Alonso is a graphic designer. The landscape format allows us to see the whole spread of the ocean; the restrained colour palette is summery and slightly retro; and the quality of the paper she has used clearly show how much care and attention she has given to her debut book. Cynthia lives in Argentina and the Portuguese title of this book is Aquàrio.

Have you seen those little videos where people reveal images hidden under a book cover.  Under the dust jacket of Aquarium Cynthia Alonso has filled the space with orange fish. It would be a pity to hide these under library plastic covering. The opening end paper has transparent jars, buckets, vases, glasses and bottles of all shapes and sizes each containing swimming fish. 

On the back end paper we see the little girl from the story swimming in the open ocean where all the fish can swim free. Her swimmers are decorated with the fish we first saw under the dust jacket.

The story is complex enough to be interesting, yet straightforward enough for even the youngest listeners to piece together from the illustrations. Kids Book a Day

Moving and evocative visual storytelling. Kirkus

Silent books

In a year when so many of us were left speechless at the events of the world, there is comfort in finding books that are just as speechless as we. That doesn’t mean, of course, that they don’t have something to say. Elizabeth Bird

Mike by Andrew Norriss

"We're talking about someone that only you can see, only you know exists, and whose name is Mike. ... What's your name? Your full name?'  'Floyd Michael Beresford,' said Floyd, and it took a second for the penny to drop ... "

My local book shop kindly gave me an advanced reader copy of Mike. I read the blurb and put this book to one side. I did not think I would enjoy this book. I am utterly surprised that I did. In fact, as one reviewer suggested, I read it quite quickly over two sessions. I do need to say right at the start, though, that I think this book would be best placed in a High School library for readers 12+.

Recently I was talking with a friend about sport stories. Out of all the books I have read not too many have been about sport and given my small sample size I cannot recall even one title that has really appealed to me yet here we have a book about tennis. And yes I enjoyed it. Of course it is not just about tennis but readers who enjoy competitive sport will certainly relate to Floyd.

What is this book about?

Floyd is a tennis player. His parents met at a tennis event, they own a tennis court business, they have been coaching Floyd to play tennis since he was two years old - this is a family that live and breathe tennis. Except for Floyd. When he was young and the game was fun every thing was fine. Floyd won a match when he was just five years old and his parents gave him a fish. At this point a few alarm bells rang with me. Is this bribery? Does Floyd really have a passion for tennis or does he prefer fish?  Take a fresh look at the cover design above. I think it is perfect.

"Floyd had loved it. And he was good at it as well. Astonishingly good. And his parents watched his progress with delight and considerable pride."

"It was only a little club tournament but Floyd played three matches that day and won them all. As a reward his parents took him to a pet store and told him he could choose anything he wanted. To their surprise Floyd asked if he could have a fish ..."

By the time Floyd is fifteen there are five huge fish tanks in his room all filled with a huge variety of fish.

Then one day Mike shows up and Floyd is forced to face his fears and real ideas about tennis. Accepting his true feelings about playing tennis at the highest level though, is only the beginning. Mike has other things to show Floyd - life changing things - perhaps he is the guide we'd all like who leads us to our perfect destiny.  The ending of Mike is sure to make your romantic heart smile.

Mike will surprise you. The premise is clever. The themes of identity and staying true to yourself are explored in a thoughtful way. Three cheers for Floyd who is now following his dreams.

Read some reviews:
Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - " this absolutely bowled me over and really developed my understanding of the complex nature of growing up with a talent."

Book Bag - "There's a wonderful sense of amusement in the tone, and I think this is what keeps the energy quite light the whole way through."

Booktrust -  Floyd is courageous and full of hope, while Mike’s role is somehow simultaneously subtle and ground-shattering, steering Floyd in completely new and surprising directions, an enigma everyone wants solve. This is a beautifully told and enormously uplifting coming-of-age story.

Here are two text quotes to give you a flavour of this writing which will appeal to sports fans.

"By the time he was thirteen, Floyd's schedule had developed into the full blown routine of a professional athlete. Each weekday he would be up at six and out on the court by quarter past. ... Floyd practiced his serves, played a few rounds of flash tennis and then spent the remaining time returning the lobs, back-spins and volleys that his father fired at him from the ball-gun."

"(Barrington) tried to break-up the smooth flow of Floyd's game by lobs that drove him back from the net. He tried to wear his opponent down with shots from the base line that would make him run from side to side and tire him out. ... and even resorted to psychological tricks that players sometimes used to break their opponent's concentration like asking for balls to be changed ... or stopping to retie his shoelaces."

Finally here is the US cover - I do prefer the one from UK above - which do you like?