Go fish!

 Fourth-grade students in a neighboring town participate in the NY state Trout in the Classroom project. So when I saw Mary Boone’s newest picture book, I knew I had to read it!

School of Fish 

by Mary Boone; illustrated by Milena Godoy 

32 pages; ages 4-8

Albert Whitman & Company, 2024 (releasing Sept 5)

theme: fish, nature, life cycle

Shiny, jellylike balls float down, down, down…

coming to rest at the bottom of the fish tank. They’re salmon eggs, and Emmy’s class will raise them and then release the fish into a river when it’s time. This book follows the salmon’s life cycle, from egg to alevin to fry to release day. Along the way, the students learn about more than fish; they learn about ecosystem connections. And they learn how to work together for the good of the fish.

What I like about this book: OK, I will confess that my absolute favorite scene is when Emmy tells her classmates that it’s fry day – and they day, “no, it’s Thursday.” Fry day is a huge day for fish – and for the students, too. Now they get to feed the fish! And I love that Emmy searches for the “perfect” release spot for her salmon on Release Day. Also, there is back matter where kids can learn more about salmon life stages and review some of the words introduced in the book.

This book was so much fun to read that I just had to ask Mary a couple questions.

Me: Did you spend time at schools observing the salmon-raising? And if so, did you talk to students and teachers about their project? 

Mary: I love research – especially hands-on research. To learn about this program, I spent time in a handful of schools, observing lessons, learning the ins and outs of caring for the baby salmon, and talking with teachers and students. I also participated in a half-dozen salmon releases, including one that included thousands of students.

To learn more about salmon in general, I also started volunteering with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement group. I’ve helped monitor juvenile smolt traps, assisted with DNA testing as part of a project aimed at increasing Steelhead populations, and planted trees in an effort to create a better habitat for salmon.

Me: What cool things did you learn while working on this book?

Mary: I grew up in the Midwest, so I started out not knowing much about salmon at all. I learned so many cool things. I love that I can now tell the difference between the different species of salmon. I think it’s cool that salmon change color over the course of their lives. I love that spawning salmon find their way back to the same stream where they were hatched.

The part of my research that made me really happy was when I met teachers who are able to use this Salmon in the Classroom program across different subject areas: writing about the salmon, drawing them, doing math problems to figure out how far a salmon might swim in a month or throughout its life. The students in those classes truly are getting the most out of this program.

Beyond the Books:

Find out what kinds of fish live in the rivers and lakes near you. Draw a picture of one of your local fish.

Paint with a fish. It sounds a bit … fishy, but here’s what you do: roll ink onto a clean fish and then press paper against it to transfer the print. Before you press roller to scale, though, spend a few minutes looking at your fish. Write down some words that describe their mouth, their fins, their scales. What does your fish feel like? Here’s instructions for painting/printing your fish.

Make an underwater viewer to look for fish and other critters living in a local stream, pond, or lake. All you need is a half-gallon milk carton, some plastic wrap, and rubber bands. Here’s how. 

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.