One Less Fish by Kim Michelle Toft and Allan Sheather

illustrated by Kim Michelle Toft

Produced with the support of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, one less fish is part counting book and part cautionary tale. The book illustrates how human carelessness leads to the disappearance of twelve species of fish in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Includes suggestions on how people can avoid such environmental catastrophes. Illustrated in stunning silk paintings.

0-88106-322-3 $15.95 hc

0-88106-323-1 $6.95 pb

ABA Pick of the Lists, Spring 1998

"A counting rhyme in reverse, this picture book starts with 12 fish, then counts down 1 by 1 to 0, as they succumb to perils under the sea. An angelfish is killed by a diver, a snappers is caught on a hook, a clownfish is hurt by offshore oil drilling, a triggerfish is trapped in a discarded plastic bag. Rhymed couplets make up the text for young children. Slightly older kids will want to hear the dangers described in greater detail in accompanying paragraphs of information. Useful for primary-grade units on threats to ocean ecosystems, the book is beautiful as well. Created with ink and dyes on silk, the illustrations glow with vivid colors within striking formal shapes. A visually exciting introduction to the deep."

(Booklist, July 1998)

one less fish is a beautiful picture book that is both aesthetically appealing and biologically interesting. Ostensibly it is a counting book, and as such would probably be most appropriate for 3-6 year-olds. Its format is basically that of an imaginary countdown to the mass extinctions which might have happened in the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef off Austrailia if it had not been protected by law since 1975. It could also be viewed as a child's first book of fishes. However, although some attempt is made to specifically depict the habitats of a few of these incredibly beautiful fish, for example, the clown fish are shown swimming through sea anemone tentacles and coral cod are drawn hiding in the coral itself, most of the ecological details found in notes at the bottom of each page and in the back of the book would require adult translation and explanation. Perhaps this is to hold the reader's attention as well as give him or her the opportunity to extemporaneously elaborate on the story making it potentially different upon each re-reading. But whatever the authors' purpose was in mixing the reading levels of the text, there can be no doubt what the illustrator's (also one of the authors) purpose was in creating these exotic silk painting illustrations-to dazzle the eye no matter what age that eye might happen to beand in that regard the book is indeed eminently successful.

(Appraisal, Winter 1999)

The focus of this fascinating and informative counting book is the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. Although the reef has been protected by law since 1975, this book tells a cautionary tale of what might have happened to it if certain threats to its existence had been allowed to continue. As the reader of this book counts down from twelve to zero, the author introduces in rhymed verse various threats to the life of the reef: oil drilling, pollution, overfishing, pesticides, and others. Each page features different fish: angelfish, sturgeonfish, clownfish, and many other colorful inhabitants of the reef. The author uses the counting sequence of numbers and the rhyme scheme to create a predictable book for young readers to learn to read. For instance, on one page the student reads, "Nine tiny triggerfish/wonderfully ornate./ One found a plastic bag/now there are. . ." As the reader turns the pages, she or he finds the word Eight and an illustration with the remaining fish. The illustrations are stunning with exquisite detail and vibrant colors. This counting book is appropriate for older students, as well, because of its strong environmental message.

(Teaching Children Mathematics, April 1999)