Review of Alfie's Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma
Posted: 25 Jan 2023, 14:54
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alfie's Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma" by David Bohline.]
Alfie’s Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma by David Bohline is a children’s picture book about a fish with asthma. Alfonso Fish, or Alfie, is the star athlete out of his peers. He’s always the fish that wins the races. He seems so smooth and confident when he wins. Little do the other fish know, he’s not always so confident. Sometimes he is scared because of a disease he has called asthma. How does having asthma affect him when he has an unplanned encounter with a deadly shark? You’ll have to read this book to find out.
Not only does this book contain a story about Alfie and his asthma, but it also has factual information about asthma and suggestions for parents. This information is helpful and accurate. I am a pediatric resident physician. The information in the book matches a lot of the information that I give to patients and their parents in my clinics. I appreciate that the author took the time to research this information and work with professionals who could help him.
The illustrations are also excellent. Kelly Hawkins was a high school senior when she provided the images for the book. She then went on to pursue degrees in fine arts and design. I think she deserves recognition for these creations. They contain a lot of detail and tell the story beautifully. They captured my attention while reading, and I’m sure they will capture the eyes of children as well.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of negative aspects. The first is that the rhythm and rhyming pattern aren’t consistent. This makes reading the book out loud challenging and awkward. The second is that the formatting is also inconsistent. I read this book on the Kindle app. Depending on the device used, sometimes one page appears at a time, and sometimes up to three pages appear. On my phone, I could fix this by turning it sideways. On the computer, I wasn’t able to resolve the issue. Part of the issue is due to the use of unnecessary section headings throughout the book. The book is not long enough to require headings.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a lovely book with great teaching points about asthma. The book only has two very minor errors. Based on this, I would say that it is professionally edited. Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above did detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, so I had to take off one star. However, I couldn’t justify a lower score because the positives outweigh the negatives. I would recommend this book to children with asthma and the parents of those children. It could also be a useful tool to use in elementary school classrooms, especially if any of the students have asthma.
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Alfie's Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma
View: on Bookshelves
Alfie’s Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma by David Bohline is a children’s picture book about a fish with asthma. Alfonso Fish, or Alfie, is the star athlete out of his peers. He’s always the fish that wins the races. He seems so smooth and confident when he wins. Little do the other fish know, he’s not always so confident. Sometimes he is scared because of a disease he has called asthma. How does having asthma affect him when he has an unplanned encounter with a deadly shark? You’ll have to read this book to find out.
Not only does this book contain a story about Alfie and his asthma, but it also has factual information about asthma and suggestions for parents. This information is helpful and accurate. I am a pediatric resident physician. The information in the book matches a lot of the information that I give to patients and their parents in my clinics. I appreciate that the author took the time to research this information and work with professionals who could help him.
The illustrations are also excellent. Kelly Hawkins was a high school senior when she provided the images for the book. She then went on to pursue degrees in fine arts and design. I think she deserves recognition for these creations. They contain a lot of detail and tell the story beautifully. They captured my attention while reading, and I’m sure they will capture the eyes of children as well.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of negative aspects. The first is that the rhythm and rhyming pattern aren’t consistent. This makes reading the book out loud challenging and awkward. The second is that the formatting is also inconsistent. I read this book on the Kindle app. Depending on the device used, sometimes one page appears at a time, and sometimes up to three pages appear. On my phone, I could fix this by turning it sideways. On the computer, I wasn’t able to resolve the issue. Part of the issue is due to the use of unnecessary section headings throughout the book. The book is not long enough to require headings.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a lovely book with great teaching points about asthma. The book only has two very minor errors. Based on this, I would say that it is professionally edited. Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above did detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, so I had to take off one star. However, I couldn’t justify a lower score because the positives outweigh the negatives. I would recommend this book to children with asthma and the parents of those children. It could also be a useful tool to use in elementary school classrooms, especially if any of the students have asthma.
******
Alfie's Attack! The Story of a Fish with Asthma
View: on Bookshelves