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jaelikes's review
4.0
Why though? What? Is Chris Raschka a pen name for Franz Kafka? This book contains more information than I care to know about sardines. It was very enjoyably horrific.
cbashore's review
4.0
I can't remember ever laughing so hard in a book. I also realized after reading this that I have quite the morbid sense of humor. I think if I were to have this in a classroom I would just keep it on my shelf for independent reading. I think it is a bit too controversial to read a loud maybe? I think it is a unique way to explain death errr.. and maybe where sardines come from :)
quasinaut's review
informative
fast-paced
3.5
If you want an unexpectedly detailed story of how a young fish, Arlene, becomes a packed-in-a-tin sardine, look no further! I wouldn't exactly read this with any too-young kids, but it brings me a certain joy to know that this odd book exists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
lindamoore's review
5.0
If you are a brisling with aspirations to be a sardine, you're going to have to go through some rough stuff.
josh_caporale's review
1.0
Zero Stars
This is the worst children's book I have ever read and I feel that it is inappropriate to even classify this as a children's book. Why? Because it plays off as more of a thoughtless joke than it does an appealing work for kids that kids will even get. The age group that is beginning to mock children's literature may find this to be cool, but I bet that most of them would not even waste their time. When you are attempting to appeal to an audience, you need to appeal to an audience. Raschka blew it on this one!
To begin with, the entire book is misleading. Arlene is a fish that wants to become a sardine. A sardine is a type of fish, so Arlene is already a sardine. From how I am interpreting it, Arlene WANTS to be placed in a can, sold, and eaten. This idea is completely personified and heartless. The fact that she dies in the middle and that it is not even a great deal can easily traumatize the target audience to the point that A.) They will have trouble sleeping and B.) They will never want to eat sardines. In addition to a misleading book comes crappy illustration. The author points out Arlene, but as the story progresses, she is just another fish. Not to mention that the illustration is blurry and depressing.
This book was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic! I feel that the purchase of this book would be a disservice to your children, for it would traumatize them and this would be a story that would easily be hidden away like the scary looking house ornament. I feel that the only person that would get enjoyment out of this book is a person who is looking for a gag and takes children's literature as a joke. Vegetarians, vegans, and sea creature sympathizers would get no enjoyment out of this, even if they like gags. I cannot think of any good reason why this book deserves any portion of star from me and it is immoral to glorify the death of a precious creature, because they want to be eaten. Do not let the one star mislead you, because it is the lowest rating recognized by Goodreads. Zero stars it is!
This is the worst children's book I have ever read and I feel that it is inappropriate to even classify this as a children's book. Why? Because it plays off as more of a thoughtless joke than it does an appealing work for kids that kids will even get. The age group that is beginning to mock children's literature may find this to be cool, but I bet that most of them would not even waste their time. When you are attempting to appeal to an audience, you need to appeal to an audience. Raschka blew it on this one!
To begin with, the entire book is misleading. Arlene is a fish that wants to become a sardine. A sardine is a type of fish, so Arlene is already a sardine. From how I am interpreting it, Arlene WANTS to be placed in a can, sold, and eaten. This idea is completely personified and heartless. The fact that she dies in the middle and that it is not even a great deal can easily traumatize the target audience to the point that A.) They will have trouble sleeping and B.) They will never want to eat sardines. In addition to a misleading book comes crappy illustration. The author points out Arlene, but as the story progresses, she is just another fish. Not to mention that the illustration is blurry and depressing.
This book was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic! I feel that the purchase of this book would be a disservice to your children, for it would traumatize them and this would be a story that would easily be hidden away like the scary looking house ornament. I feel that the only person that would get enjoyment out of this book is a person who is looking for a gag and takes children's literature as a joke. Vegetarians, vegans, and sea creature sympathizers would get no enjoyment out of this, even if they like gags. I cannot think of any good reason why this book deserves any portion of star from me and it is immoral to glorify the death of a precious creature, because they want to be eaten. Do not let the one star mislead you, because it is the lowest rating recognized by Goodreads. Zero stars it is!
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
This book was also mentioned in a discussion discussing on creepy picture books. I found it startling, but not creepy. Arlene is a brisling, born in a fjord, and has a dream of becoming a sardine. So that is the quest she goes on. Gets herself caught in a net, killed and processed into a sardine can. Not sure I'd read it to younger kids, due to the whole death thing. It still seems to think of Arlene being aware of things later in the process. Not in a bad way though. Definitely a different subject for a picture book.
The pictures are simple, but nicely done, and the play of words works well.
The pictures are simple, but nicely done, and the play of words works well.
reader_fictions's review
1.0
My Resources and Services for children prof read this children's book out loud as an example of a book she bought once without reading reviews first. A definite mistake.
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