Barnett injects humor by making the book’s hero honest to a fault. “Gouache paintings by Ellis give the story a fairy tale atmosphere, and a sense of theater, too, as rakishly costumed characters pose like actors on a stage.
could lead to some interesting discussions about how we all define love.” - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Ellis’ gouache art is familiarly spare yet gemütlich, picking up the text’s folkloric mood as the boy travels. “ some pleasingly humorous touches along the way.
The words and images work together to create layers of thought and understanding, making rewarding to a wide range of readers.” - Booklist, Starred Review Flat gouache paintings provide the perfect ethereal setting for the fairy tale-like story.
Could love really be a fish, or applause, or the night? Or could it actually be something much closer to home? But while each person he meets-the fisherman, the actor, and others-has an answer to his question, not one seems quite right. “I can’t answer that,” his grandmother says, and so the boy goes out into the world to find out.
