Summary:  “From a New York Times bestselling author and a rising-star illustrator comes a humorous tale based on an amazing-but-true story about the summer a city fountain was used as a goldfish pond.

H, Little O, and Baby Em are stuck in the city for the summer with only their pet goldfish–Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss–for company. It’s looking like it might be a pretty boring vacation, but one day, something exciting happens. Someone starts fixing up the old fountain down the street–the one Grandpa says horses used to drink from before everyone had cars–and a sign appears: “Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home.” H, Little O, and Baby Em can’t wait to send their goldfish on vacation, and the fish, well, they seem pretty excited too. Based on the true story of Hamilton Fountain in New York City, this charming tale of one special summer will delight readers young and old. Author’s Note included.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review:

Vacation isn’t looking so bright for three children and their pet goldfish, but one day everything changes when an old fountain gets a makeover and is turned into a goldfish vacation spot for the summer. Soon the children make new neighborhood friends as they visit their goldfish each week in the fountain. An adorable story about summer vacation, based on the real Hamilton Fountain in NYC.

Personal Reaction:

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I opened this book, but the story surprised me and I was even more delighted to find that it’s based on a true story of a real fountain in NYC. This book is a little more text heavy than the typical picture book, but would be perfect for an elementary school read aloud. I really enjoyed seeing children that lived with their grandpa (no explanation is given, that’s just their family), as it’s something you don’t often seen in picture books. You’ll get a lot of visiting with grandma and grandpa, but very few books about children who live full-time with their grandparents – just another type of diversity to explore. You can read more about the fountain on the NYC Parks website.

Title: Goldfish on Vacation
Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones
Illustrator: Leo Espinosa
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Publication Date: April 10, 2018

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!