{"id":227,"date":"2025-07-27T11:44:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=227"},"modified":"2025-09-09T19:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:48:57","slug":"on_dont_trust_fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2025\/07\/27\/on_dont_trust_fish\/","title":{"rendered":"Break\u00ading all the rules\u2014in sto\u00adry\u00adtelling and in think\u00ading!"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>    <mark style=\"background-color:#0048fd;color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color\">In an age of infor\u00adma\u00adtion overload\u2014where opin\u00adions flood every cor\u00adner of our screens\u2014what do you do when some\u00adone insists, \u201cWhat\u00adev\u00ader you do, don\u2019t trust<strong>X<\/strong>\u201d, Do you believe them? Or not? Have you ever found your\u00adself on the verge of trust\u00ading<strong>X or Y,<\/strong>only to be hit by a sud\u00adden twist\u2026 then a twist on the twist\u2026 then a twist on the twist of the twist?\nSo when you open a brand-new pic\u00adture book titled&nbsp;Don\u2019t Trust Fish, the ques\u00adtion prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly leaps off the cov\u00ader: Should you trust it? Or not?<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/item.jd.com\/10165623441956.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d-683x1024.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d-8x12.jpg 8w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqo964ekj20sg16on8d.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Don\u2019t Trust Fish (Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion) (trans\u00adlat\u00aded by Sen Xiao\u00adjing, Relay Press 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I had the chance to read a dig\u00adi\u00adtal pre\u00adview of this book before its glob\u00adal release, and inter\u00adest\u00ading\u00adly enough, even before its offi\u00adcial pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion date\u2014April 8, 2025 (exact\u00adly sev\u00aden days after April Fools\u2019 Day!)\u2014the book has already made waves among ear\u00adly read\u00aders. Thanks to its sharp humor, unex\u00adpect\u00aded rever\u00adsals, and sheer orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adi\u00adty, it has gar\u00adnered glow\u00ading advance praise from casu\u00adal read\u00aders and pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal review\u00aders alike.\nPeo\u00adple are cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00ading the book\u2019s inven\u00adtive spir\u00adit, espe\u00adcial\u00adly its bold use of an unre\u00adli\u00adable nar\u00adra\u00adtor, which deliv\u00aders deli\u00adcious\u00adly dark humor wrapped in a child-friend\u00adly pack\u00adage. But what makes this book tru\u00adly stand out is how its cre\u00adators sub\u00adtly weave in ele\u00adments of sci\u00adence lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adcy and media aware\u00adness, turn\u00ading what looks like a sim\u00adple pic\u00adture book into some\u00adthing far more lay\u00adered. For read\u00aders eager to dis\u00adcov\u00ader what pic\u00adture books can real\u00adly do, this is the kind of title that makes you sit up and pay atten\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>A Powerhouse Creative Duo<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"742\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Neil-Sharpson-Author-Interview.webp\" alt class=\"wp-image-230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Neil-Sharpson-Author-Interview.webp 1000w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Neil-Sharpson-Author-Interview-300x223.webp 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Neil-Sharpson-Author-Interview-768x570.webp 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Neil-Sharpson-Author-Interview-16x12.webp 16w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Neil Sharp\u00adson and his rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive nov\u00adel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The author of the text, Neil Sharp\u00adson (b. 1983), may be a new\u00adcom\u00ader to the world of children\u2019s books\u2014Don\u2019t Trust Fish is his very first pic\u00adture book\u2014but he\u2019s no stranger to sto\u00adry\u00adtelling. A sea\u00adsoned play\u00adwright and sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion nov\u00adel\u00adist, Sharp\u00adson has already earned recog\u00adni\u00adtion in Ire\u00adland and abroad for his work for adult audi\u00adences. Since 2012, he\u2019s also main\u00adtained a pro\u00adlif\u00adic blog (unshavedmouse.com) focused on ani\u00admat\u00aded films and pop cul\u00adture cri\u00adtique, show\u00adcas\u00ading his deep pas\u00adsion for visu\u00adal sto\u00adry\u00adtelling. On top of that, he\u2019s a father of two and a devot\u00aded bed\u00adtime read\u00ader, with plen\u00adty of pic\u00adture-book hours under his belt. You can feel that accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded nar\u00adra\u00adtive intu\u00adition in every twist of this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DanSantatHeadshot-350px.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DanSantatHeadshot-350px.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DanSantatHeadshot-350px-263x300.jpg 263w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DanSantatHeadshot-350px-11x12.jpg 11w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dan San\u00adtat (1975-)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Dan San\u00adtat (b. 1975), by con\u00adtrast, is a giant in the children\u2019s book world. With over 100 books to his name\u2014including pic\u00adture books, graph\u00adic nov\u00adels, and mid\u00addle-grade fiction\u2014he\u2019s best known for pic\u00adture book<strong>The Adven\u00adtures of Beek\u00adle: The Unimag\u00adi\u00adnary Friend<\/strong>-<em><strong>(in Chi\u00adnese named \u300a\u5c0f\u767d\u627e\u670b\u53cb\u300b)<\/strong><\/em>won the 2015 Calde\u00adcott Gold Medal, and his graph\u00adic mem\u00adoir A First Time for Every\u00adthing, which took home the 2023 Nation\u00adal Book Award for Young People\u2019s Lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture. Santat\u2019s work is unmis\u00adtak\u00adable: bold col\u00adors, dynam\u00adic com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtions, expres\u00adsive lines, and a cin\u00ade\u00admat\u00adic sense of tim\u00ading and emo\u00adtion. But what sets him apart is his abil\u00adi\u00adty to tap into a child\u2019s perspective\u2014with empa\u00adthy, with ener\u00adgy, and with an eye for absur\u00addi\u00adty. He\u2019s also a dad, and Beek\u00adle, in fact, is named after a made-up word invent\u00aded by his own son. That same play\u00adful spir\u00adit and intu\u00aditive under\u00adstand\u00ading of how kids think puls\u00ades through every image he cre\u00adates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Don\u2019t Trust Fish, it\u2019s the fusion of Sharpson\u2019s irrev\u00ader\u00adent wit and Santat\u2019s visu\u00adal exu\u00adber\u00adance that makes the humor land so per\u00adfect\u00adly. This isn\u2019t just a fun\u00adny book\u2014it\u2019s a smart, lay\u00adered one, where every joke is doing dou\u00adble duty: mak\u00ading you laugh and mak\u00ading you think. Espe\u00adcial\u00adly through Santat\u2019s illus\u00adtra\u00adtions, which ampli\u00adfy the absur\u00addi\u00adty of the fishy world they depict, the book becomes a delight\u00adful\u00adly strange and sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly insight\u00adful read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq7t098bj216o0sgk73.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>From Science Facts to Sci-Fi Suspicion: A Genre-Bending Twist<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This book might give even the most orga\u00adnized librar\u00adi\u00adan a bit of a headache: where exact\u00adly do you shelve it? At first glance, Don\u2019t Trust Fish looks like your clas\u00adsic non\u00adfic\u00adtion title\u2014an ani\u00admal primer, no less. It starts with text\u00adbook-like seri\u00adous\u00adness, guid\u00ading young read\u00aders through the famil\u00adiar cat\u00ade\u00adgories of mam\u00admals, rep\u00adtiles, and birds. Then it nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly tran\u00adsi\u00adtions to marine life\u2026 until the fish arrive. That\u2019s when things take a sud\u00adden, spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar turn. The tone shifts. The col\u00ador palette explodes. The nar\u00adra\u00adtive jumps the rails and careens into some\u00adthing part sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion, part mys\u00adtery, part espi\u00adonage thriller\u2014and maybe even a lit\u00adtle true crime. And through\u00adout it all is a con\u00adstant refrain: Don\u2019t trust fish. Don\u2019t trust fish. Don\u2019t trust fish. It echoes like a hyp\u00adnot\u00adic chant, grow\u00ading loud\u00ader and more insis\u00adtent. Accord\u00ading to the old rule of propaganda\u2014\u201crepeat a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth\u201d\u2014this one\u2019s got us hooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-1024x670.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-768x502.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-1536x1005.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq8k6asgj219v0u0tdi.jpg 1651w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The nar\u00adra\u00adtor (whom sharp-eyed read\u00aders might spot lurk\u00ading in the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions) begins in the voice of a respectable sci\u00adence edu\u00adca\u00adtor. But there\u2019s some\u00adthing fishy going on. The voice becomes increas\u00ading\u00adly man\u00adic, increas\u00ading\u00adly para\u00adnoid, until we\u2019re no longer sure if this is a lec\u00adture or a con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adry. The nar\u00adra\u00adtor, pos\u00adsi\u00adbly a cute lit\u00adtle sea crea\u00adture them\u00adselves, lays out a case against fish that is both utter\u00adly ridicu\u00adlous and dis\u00adturbing\u00adly plau\u00adsi\u00adble. Fish, we\u2019re told, are not to be trust\u00aded. They\u2019re sneaky. They\u2019re always watch\u00ading. They hide their intel\u00adli\u00adgence. They live under\u00adwa\u00adter, which makes them ide\u00adal spies. The book takes us into an imag\u00adined fish society\u2014one with sur\u00adveil\u00adlance oper\u00ada\u00adtions hid\u00adden in gold\u00adfish bowls and toi\u00adlet tanks, where schools of fish lit\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly go to \u201cschool\u201d to study the human body and dis\u00adcov\u00ader our shame\u00adful addic\u00adtion to pie. One of the most com\u00adpelling pieces of evi\u00addence? \u201cShips always sink at sea. They nev\u00ader sink on land.\u201d (Try argu\u00ading with that!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-1024x676.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqgydhjyj219h0u0tdw.jpg 1637w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Through this bizarre, dead\u00adpan nar\u00adra\u00adtion, the read\u00ader is pulled into a world where log\u00adic has been clev\u00ader\u00adly twist\u00aded and every\u00adthing is sud\u00adden\u00adly up for debate. Do we real\u00adly know what fish are up to? Are they plan\u00adning some\u00adthing? What else have we been told that might not be true? This is where Don\u2019t Trust Fish moves beyond the bounds of a typ\u00adi\u00adcal children\u2019s book. It\u2019s not just a fun\u00adny story\u2014it\u2019s a genre-defy\u00ading, mind-bend\u00ading piece of satire. With every page turn, it leads read\u00aders fur\u00adther into absur\u00addi\u00adty, until they\u2019re ques\u00adtion\u00ading not just fish, but the nature of knowl\u00adedge, truth, and the sto\u00adries we choose to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Dealing a Wild Hand: The Power of the Unreliable Narrator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the defin\u00ading fea\u00adtures of Don\u2019t Trust Fish is its use of an unre\u00adli\u00adable narrator\u2014a sto\u00adry\u00adtelling device that glee\u00adful\u00adly toss\u00ades out the rule\u00adbook. It\u2019s hard not to think of Jon Klassen\u2019s This Is Not My Hat, a Calde\u00adcott and Green\u00adaway Medal win\u00adner, where a tiny fish insists\u2014insists!\u2014that the hat it stole is now safe and sound on its head\u2026 all while Klassen\u2019s illus\u00adtra\u00adtions qui\u00adet\u00adly (and hilar\u00adi\u00adous\u00adly) tell anoth\u00ader sto\u00adry entire\u00adly. That mis\u00admatch between what\u2019s said and what\u2019s shown cre\u00adates a deli\u00adcious ten\u00adsion that read\u00aders love to decode. Whether or not Sharp\u00adson and San\u00adtat were direct\u00adly inspired by Klassen, their approach taps into the same visu\u00adal-ver\u00adbal dis\u00adso\u00adnance with equal\u00adly bril\u00adliant effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"966\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u63d2\u56fe.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u63d2\u56fe.jpg 966w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u63d2\u56fe-300x107.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u63d2\u56fe-768x273.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u63d2\u56fe-18x6.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 966px) 100vw, 966px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is not my hat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From the begin\u00adning,  read\u00aders of Don\u2019t Trust Fish are dropped into a world that feels fac\u00adtu\u00adal but is, in fact, increas\u00ading\u00adly absurd. The nar\u00adra\u00adtor warns us not to trust fish and pro\u00adceeds to offer \u201cevi\u00addence\u201d that ranges from plau\u00adsi\u00adble to pre\u00adpos\u00adter\u00adous: their unpre\u00addictable behav\u00adior, their decep\u00adtive appear\u00adances, their watery home that allows them to sneak around unno\u00adticed. With grow\u00ading para\u00adnoia dis\u00adguised as author\u00adi\u00adty, the nar\u00adra\u00adtive spi\u00adrals into some\u00adthing halfway between a nature doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adtary and a con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy pod\u00adcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"661\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-1024x661.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-1024x661.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-1536x991.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rq9v1l34j21ai0u0dmm.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This unre\u00adli\u00adable nar\u00adra\u00adtion is elevated\u2014supercharged\u2014by Dan Santat\u2019s illus\u00adtra\u00adtions. His art\u00adwork doesn\u2019t just sup\u00adport the text; it under\u00adcuts, exag\u00adger\u00adates, or wild\u00adly expands on it. When the nar\u00adra\u00adtor describes fish with bio\u00adlu\u00admi\u00adnes\u00adcence, for exam\u00adple, San\u00adtat shows a deep-sea angler\u00adfish lur\u00ading in its prey with eerie, glow\u00ading bait. The scene is equal parts grotesque and hilar\u00adi\u00adous. But the real kick\u00ader might be the poor, gullible lit\u00adtle crab who falls for the trick\u2014innocent, wide-eyed, defense\u00adless\u2026 and, just maybe, not so inno\u00adcent after all. (Fans of Klassen will recall his own med\u00addle\u00adsome crab in This Is Not My Hat\u2014coincidence?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqdzql0sj216o0sgtn8.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>How\u00adev\u00ader, despite the extreme\u00adly humor\u00adous tone of the sto\u00adry, there is a sub\u00adtle irony behind it about infor\u00adma\u00adtion asym\u00adme\u00adtry and blind trust. Through the exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded depic\u00adtion of the \u201cfish con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy\u201d, the sto\u00adry may actu\u00adal\u00adly be a crit\u00adi\u00adcism of the exces\u00adsive informa\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion, the spread of false infor\u00adma\u00adtion and the \u201cpic\u00adtures are the truth\u201d think\u00ading in our mod\u00adern soci\u00adety. In the Inter\u00adnet age, espe\u00adcial\u00adly with the rise of AI tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy, the reli\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of graph\u00adic infor\u00adma\u00adtion is often ques\u00adtioned, and the \u201cfish\u201d in the book is a sym\u00adbol of this \u2014 they seem real, but behind them are full of uncer\u00adtain\u00adty, and even imply false\u00adhood and decep\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the old Chi\u00adnese proverb goes, \u201cIf you believe every\u00adthing in books, bet\u00adter to have no books at all.\u201d In today\u2019s world, per\u00adhaps that applies to images, too: \u201cIf you believe every pic\u00adture, you may as well have no pic\u00adtures.\u201d Which rais\u00ades a tan\u00adta\u00adliz\u00ading pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty:<strong>Could this be a pic\u00adture book warn\u00ading you not to believe pic\u00adture books?<\/strong>Well, this seems to be a pic\u00adture book that reminds read\u00aders \u201cDon\u2019t trust pic\u00adture books too much\u201d? !<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"661\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-1024x661.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-1024x661.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-768x496.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-1536x992.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rqfe0d9dj21ah0u0qb3.jpg 1673w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Challenging Norms with Critical Thinking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems clear that the use of an unre\u00adli\u00adable nar\u00adra\u00adtor in Don\u2019t Trust Fish is not sim\u00adply a gim\u00admick or a joke. Rather, it\u2019s a delib\u00ader\u00adate choice to explore the unique pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties of the pic\u00adture book form. One of the great\u00adest strengths of pic\u00adture books lies in the inter\u00adplay between text and image\u2014and this book clev\u00ader\u00adly uses that dynam\u00adic to empha\u00adsize the unre\u00adli\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of infor\u00adma\u00adtion itself. As we enter the age of AI, the ques\u00adtion of truth\u00adful\u00adness in the infor\u00adma\u00adtion we receive becomes more crit\u00adi\u00adcal than ever. Chil\u00addren today are exposed to an over\u00adwhelm\u00ading amount of mis\u00adin\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion and exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded \u201cfacts.\u201d Learn\u00ading to eval\u00adu\u00adate what is true, and devel\u00adop\u00ading the abil\u00adi\u00adty to think crit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly and calm\u00adly in the face of uncer\u00adtain\u00adty, are essen\u00adtial skills they need to build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The unre\u00adli\u00adable nar\u00adra\u00adtor is an effec\u00adtive nar\u00adra\u00adtive device to teach this. Through a tone that seems seri\u00adous at first, paired with exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded and absurd log\u00adic, and rein\u00adforced by repeat\u00aded twists and turns (some of which await the reader\u2019s own dis\u00adcov\u00adery), the book becomes not just a humor\u00adous read but a men\u00adtal exer\u00adcise. It chal\u00adlenges the author\u00adi\u00adty of the book itself. And in doing so, it helps young read\u00aders real\u00adize that anything\u2014any \u201ctruth\u201d\u2014can be ques\u00adtioned, re-exam\u00adined, and decon\u00adstruct\u00aded. This reflec\u00adtive kind of humor is one of the book\u2019s most pow\u00ader\u00adful traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unlike stan\u00addard school text\u00adbooks, pic\u00adture books often thrive on the idea that \u201cthere is no sin\u00adgle cor\u00adrect answer.\u201d Every read\u00ader may see things differently\u2014and that\u2019s okay.<\/strong>After all, real life rarely comes with neat answers. Still, most books try to per\u00adsuade the read\u00ader that their sto\u00adry might be believ\u00adable, or at least pos\u00adsi\u00adble. Don\u2019t Trust Fish goes a step fur\u00adther:<strong>Don\u2019t even trust this book too much!<\/strong>- This is indeed a valu\u00adable reminder for today\u2019s times:<strong>Don\u2019t trust any infor\u00adma\u00adtion eas\u00adi\u00adly, no mat\u00adter where it comes from, even from books.<\/strong>For every\u00adthing, we must find a way to trace the source, to see who said it, what the basis was, and why they said it that way\u2026and all of this is con\u00adveyed to young read\u00aders through clever nar\u00adra\u00adtive struc\u00adture, humor\u00adous illus\u00adtra\u00adtions and high\u00adly cre\u00adative con\u00adtent, this impor\u00adtant sur\u00advival wis\u00addom in the AI era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"616\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-616x1024.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-616x1024.jpg 616w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-180x300.jpg 180w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-768x1278.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-923x1536.jpg 923w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853-7x12.jpg 7w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_2025-07-26_163233_853.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 616px) 100vw, 616px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>A Story That Refuses to End Easily<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So now, impa\u00adtient read\u00aders might be dying to know: What\u2019s the real truth behind Don\u2019t Trust Fish?\n\u2014Sor\u00adry, no spoil\u00aders here. That would be like reveal\u00ading the mur\u00adder\u00ader in a detec\u00adtive sto\u00adry before any\u00adone has read the final chap\u00adter. But I can give you a clue: when this pic\u00adture-book-turned-detec\u00adtive-thriller flash\u00ades \u201cThe End\u201d on its final page\u2026 don\u2019t believe it either. Don\u2019t leave your seat. Don\u2019t rush to the bath\u00adroom. Stay for the credits\u2014because yes, the \u201ccul\u00adprit\u201d is hid\u00adden in the post\u00adscript! Even then, don\u2019t close the book too quick\u00adly. Look at the ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion page: a big fish is swal\u00adlow\u00ading a small\u00ader fish. Why? And who is Elsa Fow\u00adley-Doyle, to whom the book is ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded? Could she be con\u00adnect\u00aded to Arthur Conan Doyle in some clever, tongue-in-cheek way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal pic\u00adture book stan\u00addards, this is an odd book\u2014it brings togeth\u00ader a whole mix of rarely-seen ele\u00adments. But you could also say it\u2019s a rare gem: a book that is fun, fun\u00adny, and thought-pro\u00advok\u00ading, with plen\u00adty to say to read\u00aders of all ages. If you enjoy pic\u00adture books that break rules, tick\u00adle your brain, and speak direct\u00adly to our times, Don\u2019t Trust Fish is not to be missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course\u2026 you don\u2019t have to take my word for it. After all, I\u2019m just the sto\u00adry\u00adteller -<strong>Ajia \u2026<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"912\" height=\"779\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1\u9c7c\u6536\u5c3e.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1\u9c7c\u6536\u5c3e.jpg 912w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1\u9c7c\u6536\u5c3e-300x256.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1\u9c7c\u6536\u5c3e-768x656.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1\u9c7c\u6536\u5c3e-14x12.jpg 14w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\">- Ajia (Writ\u00adten on the third day after April Fool\u2019s Day, 2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-1024x663.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DontTrustFish\u5185\u9875_\u9875\u9762_21.jpg 1836w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1-683x1024.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1-8x12.jpg 8w, https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn-1.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u5728\u8fd9\u4e2a\u4fe1\u606f\u7206\u70b8\u5230\u5404\u79cd\u8bf4\u6cd5\u6ee1\u5929\u98de\u7684\u65f6\u4ee3\uff0c\u5982\u679c\u6709\u4eba\u5f88\u7b03\u5b9a\u5730\u5bf9\u4f60\u8bf4\u201c\u5343\u4e07\u4e0d\u8981\u76f8\u4fe1X\u201d\uff0c\u4f60\u4f1a\u9009\u62e9\u76f8\u4fe1\uff0c\u8fd8\u662f\u4e0d\u4fe1\uff1f\u4f60\u662f\u5426 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,12,1],"tags":[8,5,6],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-ajia-review","category-thoughts","tag-8","tag-5","tag-6"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5881300cly1i3rpv8ksavj20sg16oagn.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions\/244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}