Carl, the Christmas Carp

Ellie Contursi is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

Radim and his father go to the market to buy a carp for their Christmas
dinner. Radim’s father is very particular when he chooses the
Christmas carp each year; he spends hours questioning vendors and poking
and prodding the fish. After he picks one, they make their way home, and
the carp gets put in the tub. Before long, Radim visits the carp,
apologizing in advance for its fate. He decides the carp resembles his
uncle Carl, so the fish becomes Carl the carp. The next day, after a
restless night filled with fishy dreams, Radim admits to his friends
that he pities Carl. When he returns home, Radim heads for the tub where
Carl is being fed bread crumbs to fatten him up for Christmas. Later,
Radim approaches his mother with the idea of letting Carl go and eating
chicken instead for the holiday. But his idea is rejected, and Radim
goes to bed that night feeling sad. Waking early the next morning, Radim
rescues Carl and dumps him in the river, and he and his family have
chicken for Christmas dinner after all.

This unconventional Christmas story set in Prague was created by Ian
Krykorka from a tale his mother was told during her childhood. Although
it is not a very exciting picture book, it does possess a certain charm.
The colourful full-page illustrations by Vladyana Krykorka are in mixed
media on watercolour paper, with white space only for the text.
Recommended with reservations.