Glowy’s Great Escape by A.K. Smith
Publisher: Books With Soul
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Grab your goggles, hitch a ride on a dolphin, and join the enchanting world of Glowy the Fish and her delightful friends in this unforgettable series that is sure to leave a glow in your heart! Even a small fish named Glowy can help you find your inner glow!

The Sparkling Adventures of Glowy The Fish. Kids book.

Embark on the magical journey with Glowy, a shy but curious, luminescent fish, as this captivating narrative unfolds over ten adventure tales. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but as the adventure continues, the brightest treasure the series offers doesn’t lie buried in the sand; it’s found in the glowing hearts of Glowy and her friends!

– Fun Facts about the Sea of Cortez – learn cool facts about the sea, fish and many other marine life at the back of each book.
– A kaleidoscope of colorful under-the-sea illustrations are on every page!
– Recommended age – 3-7 years
– Length of story – 36 pages
Bonus with each purchase receive a free downloadable activity book, “Under the Waves of The Sea of Cortez” – a coloring, connect the dots and fun facts book.

At the back of each inspiring sea story, discover a treasure chest of educational fun facts about the sea! Little ocean lovers can expand their knowledge, while parents can join in on the journey.

Getting lost is easier than it looks!

The descriptions of Glowy’s home and family life made me want to read more. She was part of such a friendly little corner of the ocean that I didn’t want to leave it. I was glad to see a note at the end that mentioned this is the first instalment of a series as there sure seemed to be lots of room left for further adventures for her. It will be fun to hopefully check in on her again in the future whenever the sequel or sequels are released.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the plot development as it reminded me of a lot of other fish adventures written for this age group, from picture books to feature-length films. It would have been helpful to have some sort of twist to Glowy’s adventures to make them stand out from the crowd as I was really hoping to have a good reason to give it a higher rating. The core storyline was pretty solid, I simply needed a flourish or a plot twist somewhere to push it to a higher level.

With that being said, I adored the kindness woven into this picture book. Glowy had a few sad moments, but there was always someone nearby who was willing to help her when she wasn’t sure what to do next on her adventure. That’s the sort of warm storytelling that makes me feel comfortable reading this to little ones of all ages.

Glowy’s Great Escape was a cute read.