When a boy is told to ​“make a wish” for his birth­day he asks ​“to take a boat­ing trip” to see fish. He and his father rent a sail­boat and see all kinds of sea life, includ­ing snap­per, yel­low­tail, and cod. As they explore, his father keeps warn­ing to ​“stay away from sharks and snails ​‘Cause we know that they’re not kosher if they don’t have fins and scales.” They learn about fluke and floun­der and tuna and trout, but soon it is time to return home. The boy is not so thrilled when he sees his moth­er has made bar­be­cued fish for dinner. 

Rubabshi’s sim­ple verse with the repeat­ing refrain is com­pli­ment­ed by Yuval’s col­or­ful and real­is­tic illus­tra­tions. The ​“Kosher Fish Key” at the end of the book high­lights the vari­ety of kosher fish and makes them even eas­i­er to iden­ti­fy. A great book for Par­shat Shem­i­ni, which dis­cuss­es which fish are kosher, it’s also a fun read for sto­ry time, since father and son have an adven­ture at sea. It is high­ly recom­mended for read­ers aged 4 – 8.