Review of “The Adventures of Danny the Discus” (Volume 2) by Kirt Seuchan

Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)

There's nothing like the love between a mother and her child!

The Adventures of Danny the Discus Volume 2: Love of a Mother centers around Danny, a discus fish living in a pet store aquarium with his mother.

Danny and his mother were purchased from a discus fish farm in Thailand and were fortunate enough to have made it to the same pet store and aquarium together! They have many fish neighbors and a friendly fish store owner named Mr. Chan, but nothing is more precious and valuable than the bond that they share with each other. They play together and swim together on a daily basis.

One day, hidden between the sea anemones at the very bottom of the tank, Danny discovers a treasure: a shiny pearl! Danny is apprehensive to try to get it, probably because its so heavy and because of the obstacle that the anemones may pose. He still dreams about obtaining it someday, not because he wants it for himself but because he wants to give it to his mom to show her how much she means to him.

In hopes of making her happy, Danny conquers his fears and pursues the pearl. He is able to suction it with his lips in order to lift it and bring it to his mother. However, he's surprised that the reason that his mother is so elated and happy isn't because of the pearl itself, it's because of Danny's thoughtfulness and the love that he showed in getting it for her!

This is a brief yet beautiful story. It is very heartwarming.

If we were to share a criticism of this book, it's that the draw distance is too great. The lens from which we see the action is very big, meaning that we get to see a lot of the tank and what else is happening in the aquarium, but the central action and characters are out of focus.

We'd preferred if the illustrator had zoomed in and focused on Danny and his mother like the narrative seems to. Trying to find your main characters on a page shouldn't be challenging (unless it's like Waldo), they should be front and center. They should be the second biggest thing on the page next to the background.

With that said, this is still a beautiful and charming book. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The characters look friendly and inviting. Most of all: it has a powerful message.

Check it out on Amazon!