An easy thing to do would be to rely on the pun that lets me say that this book is utterly magical and just leave it at that.
However, there is so much heart and wonder inside the pages of The Magic Fish that I can't let myself do that. I want to shout from the rooftops about how the downright gorgeous art is a feast for the eyes, the storytelling an emotional love letter to the magic of reading and sharing, and the plot a poignant look at immigrant life for two generations.
It's not often that a book for younger readers will take the time to fully develop and explore the emotional story for an adult. But one thing Trungles does spectacularly well in this story is not only showing the mother's backstory and emotional journey but linking it back beautifully to the fairytales that she reads with her son.
Overall, there is so much great emotion in what both Tiến and his mother are experiencing with art just does wonders in conveying it that you'll be sure to walk away loving this book. There are several levels at which one can enjoy it, you can dig as deep as all the glimpses allow or just skim the surface of the beautifully drawn fairytales. Whichever way, it's a gorgeously illustrated story that tells an enchanting tale.

I really enjoyed the illustration style of this graphic novel. The colors and pictures flowed wonderfully with the storyline. The reader really gets to form an attachment with both the main character, Tien, and his mother. The mixing of contemporary story with fairy tale retelling elements was very unique.

This is a gorgeous graphic novel about a young boy named Tién who is struggling to bridge the gap between English and Vietnamese in order to come out to his family. His story is interwoven with traditional fairy tales, and the tales take lessons from one another, illustrating the power that stories can have.