Fishes in the Ocean

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

The aim of this series is to produce low-priced, high-quality books that
can be appreciated by new readers comprehending at four different
levels, and it succeeds admirably. The formula is simple: Take a few
first-rate writers, match them up with some first-class illustrators,
and turn out a first-rate product. The costs were kept low by not
overproducing the merchandise. These are books that are meant to be
read; their pages will not suffer overly much if “personalized” by
the occasional fingerprint or jam stain. Each book is printed in a
pocketbook sized format that is perfect for cramming into a school
backpack.

In Fishes in the Ocean, a lively text by Maggee Spicer and Richard
Thompson encourages preschoolers to count to 10. The text is repetitious
but never boring: “Fishes in the ocean, / Sharks in the sea, / We all
go swimming with a 1, 2, 3. / Eagles in the blue sky, / Seagulls by the
shore, / We all go a soaring with a 2, 3, 4. / Otters doing backflips, /
Frogs love to dive, / We all go splashing with a 3, 4, 5.” Barbara
Hartmann’s illustrations are evocative of the old Jane-Dick-Spot
primary readers of the 1950s.

In Jingle Bells, Maryann Kovalski turns the lyrics of an old holiday
classic into a hilarious big city adventure. Two young children and
their grandmother take an old-fashioned horse-and-buggy ride but get
more than they bargained for when their driver accidentally becomes a
pedestrian.

Andrew’s Magnificent Mountain of Mittens recounts the adventures of a
young lad whose lost mittens catch up with him in a big way. When a
mountain of mittens buries Andrew’s school, Andrew has to do some fast
thinking before the principal can dig his way out. Kim LaFave’s
lighthearted illustrations complement Deanne Lee Bingham’s prose
perfectly. All three books are highly recommended.