ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Paul the goldfish lives in a world circumscribed by his small, round bowl. He can swim to the left, to the right, up, then down. And repeat. But when another fish, Bernadette, drops in (literally), she introduces Paul to the realm beyond the curved glass. "What do you think that is?" she asks, looking at bananas on a nearby plate. When Paul doesn't know, she informs him that it's a boat. She also identifies a clock as a cactus, a teapot as an elephant, and so on. His bowl may still be small, but Paul is happy to share it with Bernadette, who makes his world so much larger and more intriguing. The simply written story works well with the vibrant oil paintings. The well-defined painterly brushstrokes add another dimension of texture, direction, and motion to the scenes. Young children will enjoy correcting Bernadette's misidentifications and creating their own as they engage with this imaginative picture book.

Kirkus Reviews

A banana is a boat and a spoon's a fish in this sequence of charming, painterly oil illustrations that study the dodgy perspectives of two goldfish in a bowl. Paul has not seen the world. He swims around his fishbowl, maxing out his circle options: big, little, left to right, top to bottom. One day, a more cosmopolitan, clearly more imaginative goldfish named Bernadette is dropped into his bowl. "What are you doing?" she asks. As she encourages Paul to stop circling and observe the colorful realm beyond the glass, readers peer out too, squinting to visualize her delightful distortions. A big blue teapot pouring tea into teacups is a "not too dangerous" elephant, Bernadette proclaims: "But you must not disturb her while she is feeding her babies." A bottle of orange juice ("From the Isle of Concentrate") and a milk carton comprise the city of "Milkwaukee." At first, this book seems to be about how even the most constrained worlds expand with the power of imagination. But since Paul never really gets the hang of it, the story, in the end, mostly just underscores Bernadette's irresistible charms: "Now Paul goes around Bernadette." Fair enough--sometimes that's how it goes. How does life look from inside a goldfish bowl? Perhaps more intriguing for creative Bernadette than for circling Paul in this lovely, debatably romantic ode in oils. (Picture book. 3-7)

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

Two goldfish admire the view from their bowl in Lamb-s promising debut. At first, orange juice-hued Paul spends all his time circling -from left to right and from right to left,- without much emotion or variety. -And then one day, Bernadette dropped in.- The newcomer, a saucy tomato-red fish, makes imaginative observations about their kitchen-table surroundings, pronouncing a banana -a boat- and a teapot -an elephant.- As the fish watch the -elephant- filling teacups (courtesy of an offstage human hand), Berna-dette cautions, -you must not disturb her when she is feeding her babies.- Amused children will protest as Paul falls under Bernadette-s spell, especially when Paul correctly identifies a pair of fried eggs and Bernadette contradicts him: -That is the sun and the moon!- Lamb-s delectable painting technique recalls that of confection-master Wayne Thiebaud; her backdrops resemble buttercream frosting in turquoise, sky blue, and lichen green, and she limns the fishes- domain with impasto brushstrokes of white, yellow, and marine blue. Her sly approach to the way that love and friendship can alter one-s very view of life welcomes repeat visits. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

PreS-Gr 2 Paul, a solitary goldfish, spends his days swimming in circles. His life is uneventful until another fish, Bernadette, drops into his bowl. Not content to simply go round and round, she encourages Paul to take a look at the world outside their watery home. She shows him ordinary household items, which when viewed through the curved glass bowl and through the power of her imagination, become transformed. A bunch of bananas turn into a yellow boat and a vase of flowers is an enchanting forest. Some of Bernadette's creative interpretations will make young readers giggle, especially when a blue teapot becomes an elephant and two fried eggs are the sun and the moon. As he eagerly examines the fascinating world outside, Paul becomes equally captivated with his new friend. The whimsical story is accompanied by striking oil paintings. The two fish are portrayed in fluid orange and gold brushstrokes, while the bowl is a luminous sphere reflecting different colors from page to page. One of the final spreads depicts a homey breakfast table holding all of the everyday objects bestowed with magical qualities through the eyes of the fanciful goldfish. Pair this story with Devin Scillian's Memoirs of a Goldfish (Sleeping Bear, 2010).— Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Goldfish Paul "used to go around in circles." Then Bernadette drops in and points out that there are "so many things to see" outside: a banana is a boat, a teapot an elephant, etc. The simple story about imagination and opening one's eyes to the simple joys all around is carried by Lamb's impressionistic oils bringing the breakfast table to colorful, glorious life.