Paul was a goldfish who swam in circles. What else was there for him to do, as the sole resident of such a small bowl? Then one day he met another goldfish, Bernadette, who pointed out all of the fascinating things around them, showing him "the world." As he begins to truly look at the things around his bowl, Paul's horizons expand, as does his heart. Soon he is swimming around and around again, this time circling Bernadette...

A debut from author/illustrator Rosy Lamb, Paul Meets Bernadette is a lovely little picture-book, one which pairs a narrative that can be read a number of different ways with gorgeous illustrations, done in oil paint. Child listeners will no doubt be amused by the misidentification of various objects, on the part of Paul and Bernadette - a vase of flowers becomes a forest, when seen through the prism of the bowl glass, while a banana becomes a boat - while adult readers will appreciate the emotional undercurrents, as a lonely being finds a new purpose in life through love. For my part, I enjoyed both text and artwork immensely, although I did feel (as I always do) that there is something a little cruel about keeping fish in small bowls with nothing to occupy them. Although not a great fish-lover, they are beings, not decorations! Leaving that aside - and it is more of a criticism of a widespread behavior, than of the book, which simply depicts it - this is a picture-book I would recommend to those looking for amusing and thought-provoking tales for youngsters, or for beautiful illustrations. ( )

"Paul, you've been deceived." - friend after storytime ( )

A beautifully illustrated, playful take on friendship and perspective. Not sure how much younger readers will appreciate this one. ( )

Paul is a lonely fish, swimming in circles, oblivious to the world outside his bowl until Bernadette drops into his bowl.

I love the watercolor illustrations in this book. Although Paul and Bernadette are looking through a fishbowl, the reader is given a clear view of what they are looking at through the glass bowl. Bernadette brings curiosity and adventure into Paul’s life. Although, what the item is and what Bernadette thinks it is doesn’t always match up, adding humor to the story. Children will get a kick out of correcting Bernadette. The book is a nice prompt towards seeing the larger picture and being aware of what lays outside of what you know. Its a nice way to encourage children to try something new, because they never know what they may be missing by following the same routine.

More at: https://librarycrossing.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/picture-book-review-paul-meets-... ( )

This picture book is swimming in beautiful artwork and cunning wit. Paul is a lonely goldfish swimming in a bowl until Bernadette plops into his life. This other goldfish seems to know a lot more about the world than Paul does and he listens, engrossed in her explanations of the blurry world around them. Children will likely delight in the mistakes Bernadette is making as she teaches Paul about the world they live in. The font is appropriately sized and the artwork is delightful.