Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Starred Review Agatha May might not be the most attentive student in science class ("She was tardy and dreamy, her interests were odd, / her fingers were charcoaled, her breath smelled like cod!"), but the inspired oral report she delivers on the bioluminescent deep-sea anglerfish leaves her classmates positively electrified: "'This fish is amazing!' / 'This fish is horrific!' / 'This fish is astounding!' / 'This fish is terrific!'" Agatha's facts ("It swallows prey whole! / It has teeth sharp as pins!"), paired with generous quantities of additional ones supplied at the end, will elicit the same reactions from readers and well justify her teacher's praise our desk is a mess, / and your cubby a fright, / but your mind is a treasure, / it pulsates with light" d the kindling of pelagic dreams in the "sea of her heart." To capture the drama of the performance, Song pairs sketchy drawings of an appropriately toothy undersea terror floating next to somewhat more finished images of its untidy but charismatic champion. A buoyant depiction of a memorable, and possibly life-changing, classroom moment.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

PreS-Gr 3— From the childlike doodles on the endpapers to the lyrical story itself, this book is a gem in so many ways. Agatha May is a hot mess in school. Mrs. Marino is on her all the time, and poor Agatha May is always fending off criticism. Then an assignment changes everything. Taking the stage, Agatha May shows them what she has researched, and, because her focus is completely on task, her classmates hang on every gross, odd word. Every single detail will also captivate readers. Agatha May is just like every one of the children who will read this book and who will recognize their classmates or themselves in the characters. The rhyme is engaging, the art is beautifully rendered, and the story is one that plays out in schools every day. In the end, Agatha May gets her time in the spotlight and an admission from her teacher that she recognizes her talent and wants her to succeed. The information on the Angler fish is correct, and the back matter offers even more. VERDICT This is a perfect fit for libraries, and a must buy for elementary schools. It is a lively read aloud and captures life in a classroom in a fun way.— Joan Kindig

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Agatha May, a uniform-wearing student shown with tan skin and black hair, is constantly at odds with her white-presenting teacher, who punctuates the introduction to a new assignment with reprimands directed in the child’s way: for chewing gum, having messy fingers, and eating in class. Students, portrayed with varying skin tones, can choose sea creatures for the assignment based on merit points, so Agatha May knows that someone else will probably grab the anglerfish first. Yet when her turn arrives, “something happened!/ something wondrous and strange!/ It was Agatha’s turn—/ and her fish was unclaimed!” She prepares with exceptional care, and her presentation on the creature, a predator that does not swim and uses a bioluminescent lure to draw its prey, brings down the house—and draws warm recognition from her teacher. Song (Mako and Tiger) captures the classroom’s energy with charged jet-black ink lines, gentle washes, and energetic crayon textures. Foley (Breda’s Island) and her sister Morrison, diver for an aquarium’s curation department, wield smartly scanning verse for this story of triumph about a kid who shines when she can work independently. Anglerfish facts conclude. Ages 5–8. (Dec.)