Review: Fire Fish

Summary: In this golden fable, three little fish, Sarai, RaaOn and Sesom, embark on a daring quest to find their missing parents.

Never more than a fin-flip away from deadly danger, they tumble from one breathtaking exploit to another. Along their journey they encounter helpful friends and deceitful enemies. All the while, the legend of the Fire Fish inspires them to explore a world bigger than they ever imagined.

Leaving the comfort of their home, they find a wise turtle who teaches them how to call upon the great Finmaker.
As they journey through dark tunnels, an evil eel attempts to lure them into his hungry jaws. After a narrow escape, they find their way to the big ocean, teeming with fish of every kind.

They meet new friends and play games until a friendly dolphin warns them of danger. An army of great white sharks is approaching, gnashing everything in its path. In the thrilling climax, the glorious Fire Fish appear, and this story of mythic power ends in a surprising twist that teaches timeless truth. -- thefirefish.com

When I opened up FIRE FISH by Davy Liu in the mail, my family actually could hear me "Ooooooohing and Aaaaaahing!" The cover of this book is just so incredibly beautiful -- the fish on the cover is shiny and jumps out at you. I immediately started flipping through the pages just to look at the illustrations! Each page is more spectacular than the next. I especially loved his use of light and how it appeared under the water.

Davy Liu has created a series of Christain faith-based childrens' books called Invisible Tails. He has worked for Disney, Warner Bros. Animation and Lucas Films before becoming an author and illustrator. His creativity and talent are apparent throughout FIRE FISH. Liu said, “I hope to inspire young souls to experience life through faith. There is more to life than meets the eye. Every kid has different gifts. Though we live in very distracting times, I want kids to know their life is valuable not because of status or material things.”

The illustrations are absolutly amazing (and definitely my favorite part of the book), but the story is extremely meaningful too. The book tells the story of Exodus through the eyes of three little fish. It was inspired by Moses' visit by God through the burning bush. These fish face many dangers in the ocean and survive them all because of their unending faith in the "Finmaker." At the end of the story, after the fish realize how many miracles they had been granted, they even take the time to thank the Finmaker for keeping them safe. It's a beautiful book with a beautiful Christian message!

If you would like to get an idea about the beauty of Liu's illustrations, you can check out FIRE FISH website. Make sure you take a look at the descriptions of the characters and the downloads. The book is aimed at children ages 9 to 12; however, this adult will love reading this book over and over again with my children. I most certainly intend to check out the other books in this series (THE GIANT LEAF was published in April 2007.) FIRE FISH is certainly a book that will be valued in our house, both for its beauty and its message!