April the Red Goldfish

April is just a lonely red goldfish, searching for the meaning of life and standing out from the crowd because she is different. April may be only little, but she has very big dreams. Sometimes she loves to ponder the deeper, Shakespearean questions of life, and sometimes adolescent angst fills her mind as she tries desperately to escape the ennui. Finally she formulates a plan for her exit strategy by annexing the instincts of her chief predator and she sets off to explore the world.

Anyone who enjoyed Marjolaine Leray’s previous offering Little Red Hood will be delighted to see the return of her signature scribbles. Each scribble is carefully designed to contrast the boredom, anxiety and irritation of life looking out of the goldfish bowl, with the adventurous freedom of life looking in. The end papers enclose the beginning and end of a humorous, witty and elegant story.

Sophisticated and clever in its parody of life, this is not just a book for children, but also a profound moment of philosophical reflection to be appreciated by teenagers and adults alike.