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PORTSIDE CULTURE

LITTLE FISH, BIG FISH AND BULLIES – A REVIEW OF LITTLE MEENA AND
THE BIG SWIM  
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Kurt Stand
August 12, 2024
Portside
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_ Though written for young children, the book addresses a serious
subject of bullying, bullying that comes with a real consequence too
many suffer: hunger. Usually in children’s literature, the hurt
depicted when a character is mean is about feelings. _

Little Meena and the Big Swim/La Pequeña Meena y El Gran Nado, Hard
Ball & Little Heroes Press

 

A single fish with a tear in her eye begins the story. Next page we
see two fish, then an illustration of two fish imagining three,
followed by the three imaging many.  Turn the page again, now there
are several groups of fish, after which the numbers grow so that the
fish fill the whole page.  Now, midway through the story, there is a
different image, the three small fish with which we began are standing
opposite three larger fish – who all look unfriendly.  Turn the
page again, now there are many smaller fish, far more than the mean
big fish.  A change is clearly riding a wave.
 

Little Meena and the Big Swim/La Pequeña Meena y El Gran Nado
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Text & illustrations by Lorna Gonsalves/Translation by Ximena Diego
Book design by Matthew Tallon
Hard Ball & Little Heroes Press; 36 pages
Pa[erback:  $13.50
April 27, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-9898025-1-7

...
Hard Ball & Little Heroes Press
How that change comes about is at the heart of LITTLE MEENA AND THE
BIG SWIM.  Author/illustrator Lorna Gonsalves children’s story
tells a tale of how to respond when someone bigger and stronger is
mean and unfair; it tells a tale of what a fish – or a child (or
even an adult) – can do.  Her story is timely and timeless, as she
unfolds a simple truth that too often is forgotten.

The illustrations enable us to see further.  All those little fish
swarming together is appealing, and so one of the fish on the other
side, swims over to join them.  Not wanting to be mean, that fish now
can make a choice – and does.  Soon others swim over to the other
side too, leaving those who wish to continue to be selfish swimming
away, no longer able to bully.  An image of two fishes hugging,
followed by a picture filled with fish all together, smiling, sharing
the food which should, after all, be common to all.

Turning the pages thereby tells the story of how to confront bullying
– not by being “tougher” or “violent,” not by relying on a
hero to come and save the day as in action movies, but by cooperation,
by the little fish joining together. 

Children can look, see, as the story tells itself in striking
images.  Gonsalves’ illustrations are bright and colorful,
eye-catching so it is easy for young eyes to follow along.  Looking
closely, a reader can see that each fish is a little different,
looking wide-eyed, readers can see other fish in the sea, can see and
imagine the underwater world in which they live.

But the book is one that they can read as well for Gonsalves tells the
story using simple, easy to follow words – and using simple
explanations to define harder words.  Explaining the plot behind the
picture we learn that the mean fish won’t let Meena eat at a mound
where she had gone in the past.  She sees her friend Ridwan looking
sad.  He too has been turned away from the eating ground.  Both of
them are now hungry. Meena, remembering her grandmother’s stories
about organizing a “Big Swim,” turns to her for advice.   And,
to quote from the book:

_“She told them about the meaning of solidarity– about how
swimming together with other fish who wanted to fix the same problem
would make everyone stronger. ‘Wow! It sounds like solidarity gives
you superpowers!’ Meena said.”_

What follows tells us how they organized that “Big Swim” to get
family, friends and friends of friends to take part.  Or, rather, the
story is told in two texts -- Spanish as well as English. The same
story, different words.  Thus, in one delightful book, a tale is told
in three ways, visually and in two languages.  That is itself a
message. 

Gonsalves has worked as a crisis counselor and youth advocate.  That
comes through in the book which, though written for young children,
addresses a serious subject of bullying, bullying that comes with a
real consequence too many suffer: hunger.  Usually in children’s
literature, the hurt depicted when a character is mean is about
feelings alone.  Such is important, but too often the social
consequences are left out.  Simalarly, the hero or heroine will solve
the problems alone and then perhaps help their family or community. 
That, however, is a pathway that provides little guidance for the
challenges most children will ever face.  And absent social
solutions, all too often a child or teenager will respond by turning
inward by withdrawing or outward by lashing out. 

The virtue of Gonsalves’ book is that she posits a different way
forward, through cooperation and working together.  Drawing on her
experiences in India and the United States and her work through
Creative Peaceful Resistance, a youth-centered grassroots organizing
approach she conceived in 1999, Gonsalves points her readers into
group problem solving.  This is reinforced by discussion questions
that follow the story, questions that can help even young children
look at the outside world and not feel powerless within it.  As the
story concludes:

_Everyone is full and free to eat on Rainbow Mound whenever they like.
We won’t let greedy fish change that ever again!_

* Children's literature
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* children's book
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* bullying
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* hunger
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* social issues
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* children
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* Raising Children
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