Summary: An Inuit boy and his grandfather with his team sail out to trade with a hunter on the other island. They arrive on the island where the grandfather tells the story of fish-boy and his adoptive father. They, too, are trying to trade/work with other villages but it doesn't go well. Fish-boy turns the men who weren't nice into sea-parrots permanently.


It is listed age range of first grade to fourth grade. It would be a great read aloud for the younger grades. There is enough to spread the story out a few days, especially, if you're working on folktales.


The illustrations in this are lovely, calming and fun throughout the book.


Recommend? Yes, definitely recommend this book.

While out fishing a boy notices that there are many sea-parrots (possibly puffins?) on the water and poses the question of: Why are there so many sea-parrots? He is then told the story of Tukmeuk, a lame man who survives by catching fish for a living. One day he comes across Fish-Boy who asks him to be his father. Fish-Boy has no arms but proves himself to be useful to Tukmeuk. As the news of Fish-Boy spreads he is invited by Nepso-sok, a great chief, to come across the water to meet him but it doesn’t go as planned.

This is the second books I have read by Vanita and illustrated by Mike and wow – what a team. Admittedly, I have a soft spot for traditional stories – have since I was a little girl – and I did genuinely love this book.

The essence of this story is to not underestimate people based on their physical limitations. The fisherman, Tukmeuk, survives by doing the job that he can. Fish-Boy, though he has no arms, becomes invaluable to Tukmeuk to be successful at fishing. They both learn that they are not limited by their impairments but rather use what they can do to their advantages. When a nearby chief hears of Fish-Boy he wants him to come and visit and although Tukmeuk is hesitant, he agrees and with a small party head to the island.

Fish-Boy: An Inuit Folk Tale by Vanita Oelschlager is very cute story with colorful and delightful illustrations. In this story, an old Inuit man tells the story of Fish Boy. The Arctic region of North America is a land of long days, icy cold, hardy people and peculiar creatures. The Inuit people there have made traditional use of remarkable folk tales to find truth and explain the mysteries of an astonishing world.

In Fish-Boy, An Inuit Folk Tale, Vanita Oelschlager retells a tale passed down by a wise old Inuit. It's an origin story involving a little magic and a very odd boy with a large heart for friendship. On a journey with his new father, he must confront misfortune and the malice of cold hearted villagers. But he has a way and a lesson for all in the virtues of kindness and hospitality.

This book as it teaches kindness and a folk tale about a region that covers most of Canada. It can be used as a tool to teach children about folk tells and about different cultures and acceptance. 

I received this ARC from Vanita Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I give this book 4/5 stars.

This was an interesting little book. My son didn’t quite understand it. It’s moral to the story I think is be kind. But frankly I didn’t like the dad in the story.

I really enjoyed this book! I would love to see more multi cultural books like this one! I am definitely picking up a copy for my school library.

Fun illustrations and a well written story. A book kids and adults can enjoy.

Beautiful picture book, but the storyline is a little weak. Usually children's story books have some kind of moral lesson, but this book is weak on that.

There's a lot to enjoy about Fish-Boy. The language is unique, and the tale is just magical enough to keep young readers entertained. I also enjoyed a lot of the artwork in the book. Fish-Boy promotes kindness, particularly to outsiders and visitors, which is extremely relevant as immigration takes center stage in American society. However, I do think that the book came across as a bit of a caricature. I was never quite sure if the author had a direct connection to the mythology of the narrative, or if it was ultimately the retelling of a retelling. I also thought that the artwork was a bit inconsistent; while I appreciate the use of color in scenes featuring sea-parrots, the pages were a jarring contrast to the earth tones and frozen landscapes.

Fist of all, the artwork by Mike Blanc is beautiful. To be honest, my favorite part of children's books is probably the art.

When it comes to what we look for in a picture book, my kids and I tend to steer away from large blocks of small print on the page. We prefer to have more pages with less words on them, than a book with lots of text on a single page. This story was on the wordier side. My six and a half year old lost interest immediately. But my 8 year old stayed through to the end.

The story paints a beautiful picture of life in the far north- their customs and means of survival. There were a lot of similar sounding names of people and places that could be a bit confusing, though. I understand that they were included to provide extra information for the reader to get an all around understanding, and from a homeschool mom perspective, I appreciate that. But from a casual reader perspective, some of that detail could have been easily omitted.

When we got to the end of the story there was a glossary of terms and list of teaching points. The homeschool mom side of me leaped for joy. When we came across the word umiak in the beginning of the story, we used the illustrations to help us understand this new thing we'd never heard of. To our delight, it was defined in the back! Some examples of the teaching topics are:

Differently-abled people and how they are viewed or treated
Killing for food and clothing
Environment
Telling stories that explain nature
Transmitting values generationally

There are more topics, but these are the ones that we actually paused to discuss or note during our reading and were happy to see included.

One last point to note: the publisher, Vanita Books, donates all net profits to charities where "people help people help themselves.' Ten percent of this book's net profits will be donated to the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis.

My kids and I love using literature to learn about the world, and this was a great story for that. Overall it I'd give it 3.5/4 stars out of 5. I would point out again though, it is a bit wordy, and a kid like my 6 year old who loses interest quickly may not enjoy it as much.

I love folk tales and do not get to read nearly enough picture books. This one was a treat. It's a great read-aloud for up to even 5th or 6th grade. The artwork is beautiful.

Kitmesuk went out to fish one day and he discovers Fish-Boy instead: an armless boy with a fish body. They travel together and later Fish-Boy is mistreated by some villagers and uses magic to turn men that would harm them into sea-parrots, which explains the origins of puffins nesting on Ignaluk.

There is a glossary of Intuit terms that kids may not be familiar with in the back of the book.

Verdict- Buy

Interesting Inuit folktale. Like all folk tales, it's a bit strange in spots and doesn't always make complete sense. However, it is beautifully told and will suck you into the landscape and the world and make you feel richer for having read it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing a preview of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book gives a view into the folklore of the Inuit people and has remarkable illustrations. The fact that it is told by a child makes it appealing and interesting. Love the colors!

An Inuit folktale. While out fishing, a fisherman comes across Fish Boy. The fisherman adopts Fish Boy, and together they encounter rejection and angry villagers. The tale of Fish Boy involves a lesson in kindness and hospitality.

Colorful artwork. A charming story to introduce children to another culture. This book is geared toward older children. As a nice touch, a list of new words and their definitions was included in the back of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, it had some excellent images and it was a nice pleasant read. Fish-Boy is based on an Inuit Folk Tale that has been passed down through the generations. The book teaches about friendship and kindness - 4 stars from me.

The art in this is so very pretty and works well with the narrative. The story itself is based on an authentic Inuit folk tale, which is fantastic to see more diverse folk tales available. It's a good story for elementary school-aged kids.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of FISH BOY in exchange for an unbiased review.

FISH BOY is a retelling of an Inuit folk tale that, along the way, teaches many lessons to young readers; particularly lessons about treating strangers, hospitality, and that just because someone is differently-abled doesn't mean they cannot help in any way. The illustrations are engaging for children slightly older (6-9/3rd to 5th grade), and there is an awesome glossary towards the end for continued learning.

It's important to include that I had already decided on my five-star rating BEFORE finding out the following detail, but 10% of all proceeds from the book are going to the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis. Those who follow me on social media already know that MS has become the defining force in our life since my diagnosis 2 years ago, so this definitely gives me a reason to say we'll be buying a *few* copies to give as gifts next year when the book is released, and I hope others will, too.

I read and reviewed another book from this publisher, which was also an Inuit legend. This one had much more narrative and had a truly fascinating story of fish boy. I spent quite a bit of time studying the illustrations. They are colorful and beautifully detailed. Another great book to expose children to a different culture.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for the complimentary copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this story.
I really enjoyed this retelling of Fish-Boy. It is so important to share these stories so they don't become lost to time. The illustrations were lovely and really enhanced the story. I also appreciated the glossary of terms included- very important for young readers!

Definitely one to read aloud and share with the family!

Things we need more of in the world:
—folk tales for children
—stories from indigenous peoples
—books that remind us that we’re all capable of more than we realize
—books with kind elderly souls teaching sweet younger ones :)

This stories has it all and I’m happier having read it.