Raschke, Jens. 2019. DO FISH SLEEP? Ill by Jens Rassmus

BIBLIOGRPAHY 

Raschke, Jens. 2019. DO FISH SLEEP? Ill by Jens Rassmus. Brooklyn, NY. Enchanted Lion Books. ISBN 978-1-59270-285-5 

PLOT SUMMARY 

Jette, a young 10-year-old girl spends her days like any other child by attending school but also questioned if her parents loved her brother more than they did her. Emil, her younger brother, battled a long-term illness which Jette talks about by recalling family memories with him for his 6 years of life. His funeral and how her family grieved the youngest member of the family made her question how they felt for her but also made her understand her parents' grief. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

Do Fish Sleep? Is a Batchelder Award Honor book from 2020, a translation of Schlafen Fische? (German) and the first English language edition. This painfully honest story of the loss of a young child is the reality some families experience across the world in all cultures. The story is not one with cultural markers tied to a specific culture, but Rassmus, includes cartoonish illustrations that are painstakingly direct and painful to any person. The family dynamic is made of two parents and their children. The story takes place in the settings of their everyday life; however, because Emil needs medical attention, they frequent the hospital often. Here Emil befriends a boy who is terminally ill like him, and once he has passed, Emil’s family tells him he has flown to Turkey to visit family. Here we see the theme of internal struggle as his family tries to deal with the topic of death and how they don’t approach it directly.  

The illustrations are accurate with the emotions of grief and loss. The drawings are simple, yet the green hue creeping up or covering figures accurately represents the cloudy/foggy feeling of internal struggle. In the beginning Jete’s character is not sad or confused. Her narration calls everything as it is, but as time passes, she begins to feel the emotions that come with grief. Her encounter at school with another peer who mentions heaven as the next place after death confuses her and offends her as she refuses to believe her brother would appreciate being compared to Nadine’s parakeet that was thrown to the trash. She could not imagine her brother as a form of a star, cloud or angel and in her anger she drew dark clouds in the midst of her rage.  

The difficult and painful funeral was too much for Jette to handle, as seen in the drawings and told in the story she refuses to see her brother be lowered into the ground. Once home she now begins to cry and the illustrations transition and follow her dealing with grief in her own way. The drawings are simple, yet make the reader stop and analyze their simplicity. This realistic fiction story is difficult to read, as no family wants to imagine the pain some families go through yet shows how people adapt and overcome their internal struggles.  

REVIEWS AND AWARDS 

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2020 

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 02/01/20 

Mildred L. Batchelder Honor, 2020 

Publishers Weekly Annex starred, 09/16/19 

Publishers Weekly (September 16, 2019): “Brutally honest about the suffering that follows the death of a young sibling, Raschke’s narrative is at once excruciating, honest, and compelling.” 

CONNECTIONS 

Henkes,  Kevin. SUN & SPOON. ISBN 978-1-42875-634-2 

Levy, Joanne. SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. ISBN 978-1-45982-707-3 

Spinelli, Jerry. MANIAC MAGEE: A NOVEL. ISBN 978-0-316-80722-7 

Students who may be dealing with a similar situation can read the book and connect with the characters who find a way to cope with their reality and find a positive way to keep their loved ones memory alive. Drawing a simple illustration such as the ones in the book can help the reader reflect on their situation and make for a beautiful memory to admire in their own personal space.  

Drawing a favorite memory of a loved one who has passed representing their favorite memory would be a great way to reflect on favorite memories with their loved ones. These parts of life are not easy but reflecting on something that made them happy in their lifetime would be great to draw on paper.