Nothing ever happens by Heidi McKinnon
Two fish swim, each decrying their boring lives. Same old rock, same old seaweed, some old starfish they say to each other. They both wish for something to happen to make their lives more interesting. The red fish remembers that things were better yesterday. While the yellow fish cannot remember yesterday. They want something amazing to happen. Something unexpected and amazing, red fish says. As they decry their boring lives, a black shape appears behind them, growing larger as each page is turned and I defy everyone to keep the music from Jaws out of their heads!
They are both taken inside the large mouth, and now they wish for their boring loves again. Shot out of the animal, they are restored to their boring lives, reciting the same things they said before. Same old, becomes a refrain once again, the red fish noting that he wishes nothing ever happens again, while the yellow fish gives a caveat, unless it is amazing. And they both agree.
A wonderfully funny look at wishing for something, evoking the idiom, ‘be careful what you wish for,’ is a treat for young and old as the fish wish that something incredible would happen to relieve their boring, same old days.
But what happens almost ends their lives. So, the same old life is happily embraced. But…
I laughed out loud at this book, reminding me of the idiom, ‘be careful what you wish for’, combined with the idea that fish have a short attention span. Yellow fish goes along with the red fish, simply agreeing with him, but the first to say that something needs to happen, when they are expelled, reminding us of his short attention span again.
Digital illustrations by McKinnon are fabulous, the two fish taking up large part of each image, swimming around each other, looking at what is in their universe. Small adjustments to their eyes and noses give a host of behaviours as they navigate their environment, and then cope with the larger fish devouring them.
Themes: Fish, Ocean, Wishing, Friendship, Humour.
Fran Knight