Who fed Zed? by Amelia McInerney. Illus. by Adam Nickel

Friends, Ned, Fred and Ted and the writer look after Fred’s fish, Zed, but on strict instructions that no one feeds the fish bread. We see what happened last time when Zed was fed bread: it had to be taken to the vet who admonished the group, saying that bread was dangerous to animals and to stick to fish food in its little cardboard packet.

Meanwhile, Fred’s dog, Jed has fleas and is confined to the shed after being sprinkled with flea powder, also in a little cardboard packet. So the four friends must watch the fish, although it becomes obvious that Zed is not happy. Just like before, the fish is lying upside down, and everyone is looking at each other asking the question, who fed Zed bread?

A neat solution is offered when it appears that the two packets have been interchanged, and all is put right.

Kids will laugh out loud at the hilarious situation, the rhyming words, 'Bread', 'Zed', 'Jed' and so on, encouraging joining in with the reading, predicting the rhyming words, watching the four friends as they learn about diet and the effects of eating something that is not right for you.

Adam Nickel’s digital illustrations are hilarious: I love the placid looks on the faces of the four friends, the simply drawn faces carrying a range of emotions just from the wriggle of eye brows or the slant of the mouth. Each page had me watching the four closely to gauge what they were thinking, each time making me laugh at their idiosyncracies. 

A very funny look at a group of friends working out what is wrong with the fish, this story gives readers and classes an opportunity to discuss wider issues: food allergies, diet and food intake, the care of pets, a trip to the vet and so on. The book’s zany humour reflects the author’s interest in food allergies and the need for packaging to be kid friendly.

Themes: Humour, Animals, Fish, Friendship, Fleas, Food Allergies, Problem solving.

Fran Knight