Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: Hard-to-Swallow Stories from Fifth Grade (by Esme Raji Codell)

This slight but entertaining collection of vignettes (they can't really be called stories) is pleasant and, at times, witty. It doesn't have the power or depth of Esme Codell's previous book, Sahara Special, but then it doesn't intend to. Kids who clamor for stories of their parents' childhoods will enjoy it, and it may make the adults sharing it with them nostalgic.

The size, typeface, and illustrations make this look like a middle grade book, on the order of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. But some of the content, while not strikingly objectionable, is clearly aimed at somewhat older children, such as a chapter on love in which a friend gives Esme a lesson in "butt-switching," a way to walk to attract boys. On the other hand, older children may find Codell's way of addressing her readers a bit condescending. This is a pleasant, amusing book, but Codell can do better -- and no doubt will.