Readers may not take away any lessons about how to be a good friend from this story about a goldfish desperate for companionship, but they'll find no shortage of laughs. Lerch the fish (really author/ illustrator James Proimos) narrates his own story in speech bubbles: "I'm lonely," Lerch announces with a piteous frown and eyes full of longing. "I need to find a friend." Confined to a fish tank, he looks for love in all the wrong places. He tries to befriend colored pebbles ("So, you are not talking"), a plastic deep-water diver, and aerator bubbles, eventually concluding, "It's official. No one loves me." Lerch's dilemma is both accidentally and dramatically resolved when a cat takes a special interest in him (and insists on calling him "Lunch"). Lerch hangs above the cat's toothy smile for a page before the cat plops him into another tank with a fish named Dinah ("Lunch! Meet Dinner!"). Proimos's high-energy digital illustrations, which appear in comic book-style panels, play up Lerch's emotions at every turn, from his extreme elation at discovering potential friends to his devastation when they don't work out. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A jaunty, optimistic but lonely fish needs a friend. He swims about in his bowl enthusiastically trying to engage the attention of pebbles and a diver statue. Even the bubbles, with whom he tries to converse in their language, just float to the surface and disappear. In a nice twist, it is the cat that plays matchmaker when he introduces Lerch, to whom he gives the name Lunch, to a lady fish named Dinah, also known as Dinner. The new friends hold fins and swim happily ever after... maybe. Ostensibly written and illustrated by Lerch himself, the work is formatted in exaggerated comic-book style with bright, heavily outlined, large-scale cartoons rendered in ink and Photoshop. Lerch displays every emotion with outsized, over-the-top facial expressions. Extremely limited vocabulary placed in large word balloons and frequently repeated makes it appealing and accessible to the youngest readers. The fun continues with the biographical information on the jacket, where Lerch gives some credit to his caretaker, James Proimos. Good solid nonsense. (Picture book. 3-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After unsuccessfully trying to chat up some pebbles and bubbles in the tank, a goldfish despairs over his lack of friends. He finds unlikely assistance from a cat who snatches him up and plops him into a tank with another fish; friendship soon blossoms. Ink and digital illustrations using bold colors and thick black lines pair well with dialogue-bubble text. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lerch the goldfish wants a friend, which is difficult since he's the only fish in his tank. Undaunted, he swims around his tank, talking to the gravel, the plastic undersea diver, and the bubbles, though sadly none of them answer him. Just when he thinks he's as lonely as a fish can be (in a wonderfully empty two-page spread), a cat arrives outside the tank and talks to Lerch. But, uh-oh, he calls him Lunch. Fear not, though, as young readers and storytime audiences will be greatly relieved by the final, friendly twist to the story. Though Lerch gets the credit for this picture book, James Proimos is responsible for the art and story. He uses the comic-book format, with panels and word balloons, to great effect here; Lerch's repeated Swim! Swim! can be a nice storytime chant. The bright colors and clear art match the simple story and will attract the youngest read-to-me set.--Kan, Kat Copyright 2010 Booklist

PreS-Gr 1-Lerch, a goldfish wearing a red hat, tells of his isolated, solitary life. He talks in speech bubbles, reminding himself to "Swim. Swim," just to fill the quiet void. He asks the pebbles at the bottom of his aquarium if they will be his friends. No answer. So he attempts to start a conversation with a small underwater diver and with the bubbles from the aerator, to no avail. When a cat plucks Lerch from his watery home and calls him "Lunch," it appears to be the end for our finned friend, but the end turns into a beautiful beginning. Large, childlike illustrations done in ink and Photoshop, with everything outlined in thick black lines, have aqua, purple, and blue backgrounds. The large font and few words make this simple story of friendship accessible to early readers. As author and illustrator, "Lerch" is a pseudonym for James Proimos.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.