The Walking Catfish — David Day

K-Gr 4-- An original tall tale with real down-home flavor. When the Big Lie Competition is held in the town of Archie's Bottom , the River Rat Gang knows it can depend on Hank Blizzard to come up with a prize-winning whopper despite stiff competition from the Road Dog Gang. The teams are judged to be just about even when Hank spouts out a tale about a catfish so big and ornery that it can swallow fishermen whole, and Hank finds it necessary to dare rival Tex to meet down by the river for a personal peek at the monster. The next day, Hank announces that the huge fish has swallowed both Tex and another victim. Just as he is on his knees praying for forgiveness, both missing boys appear on the horizon none the worse for wear. The townspeople are not amused. When a sole witness sees Hank being swallowed whole by a giant catfish, no one believes his story. To this very day people are waiting for Hank to reappear. The lively watercolors catch the Mark Twain-type personalities of the characters. The Native Americans, however, are stereotypical down to the feather in the headband, and the illustrations of the fluffy dog have a great deal more appeal than the hound dog described in the text. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable read and a great choice for storytelling. --Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC