Jake and Ava: A Boy and a Fish

by Jonathan Balcombe, Rebecca Evans (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Balcombe comes this charming and affecting tale of young Jake, who on his first fishing trip with his grandfather, makes a crucial discovery when he meets Ava, an archerfish, caught on his line.

"This tender tale will evoke empathy in young readers. And, the art is exquisite.”

         —Joyce Sidman, winner of the NCTE Award for excellence in Poetry for Children, Winner of the Sibert Medal, author of The      Girl who Drew Butterflies and many other titles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780940719460
Publisher:	The Gryphon Press
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

*Jonathan Balcombe is a biologist with a PhD in ethology, the study of animal behavior. His books include What a Fish Knows, a New York Times best-seller translated into fifteen languages; Super fly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects; Pleasurable Kingdom, Second Nature, and The Exultant Ark,

*Rebecca Evans is an illustrator and author living in Maryland. She is the author and illustrator of numerous books including:  Jeannie Houdini: A Hamster's Tale, 2 a Lot: An Adventure With Numbers; PLANTS FIGHT BACK; IF ANIMALS BUILT YOUR HOUSE ; and ALONE LIKE ME.

Editorial Reviews

A sensitive topic swum with mindful strokes. Balcombe’s insightful juxtaposition of two youthful experiences wades through an emotional journey of learning and compassion. Evans’ richly hued watercolors evoke fluid movement and a vibrant natural landscape filled with wildlife. Illustrations and story harmonize well, highlighting vulnerability and the importance of compassion. . .” —Kirkus Reviews

"Jake and Ava: A Boy and a Fish is a gorgeous book with a beautiful message: that all creatures love their lives just like we love ours. “

                      —Sy Montgomery, author of Becoming a Good Creature.

"Jonathan Balcombe’s book will help children see fishes in the way they should be seen—as animals who deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. Jake and Ava is a meaningful and enjoyable story experience.”

               —Dr. Aysha Akhtar, MD, MPH, author of Our Symphony With Animals:On Health, Empathy and Our Shared Destinies.

"Archerfishes like Ava are amazing beings. They are not only very bright but also have rich and deep emotional lives like the companion animals with whom we’re more familiar. In Jake and Ava, author Jonathan Balcombe tells a story of much needed empathy and kindness from a boy to a fish that deserves a broad global audience.”

                 —Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of Animals at Play and Jasper's story: Saving Moon Bears

From the Publisher

2021-09-15
A tale of two youngsters told with alternating human and fish points of view.

Balcombe’s insightful juxtaposition of two youthful experiences wades through an emotional journey of learning and compassion. At each turn, Balcombe’s approach compares the naïve assumptions of a young boy named Jake and a juvenile fish named Ava, finding opportunities to recognize similarities across diverse perspectives as their storylines converge and paths prepare to cross. Jake’s outing with his grandfather begins as his first fishing trip and a meaningful time for learning with an elder. That morning finds the young fish Ava also setting off, to catch insects with her uncle, and learning the techniques and hot spots just as Jake learns from Grandpa. When Jake worries about how the worm may feel, readers get a hint as to what may be on the horizon for Ava. The grandfather and child in the story both appear White, with no noted ethnic or racial identities. Evans’ richly hued watercolors evoke fluid movement and a vibrant natural landscape filled with wildlife. The expressive features bring these lives into focus, building to a sequence with Ava first vividly centered and then pulled into tension with Jake; a picture of a sorrowful Jake gazing at an equally distressed Ava, hanging from the hook across the gutter, says it all. Illustrations and story harmonize well, highlighting vulnerability and the importance of compassion, and an informative endnote quells concern over anthropomorphic storytelling.

A sensitive topic swum with mindful strokes. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews