Books › The day I swapped my dad for two goldfish
The day I swapped my dad for two goldfish
256 pages
A delightfully deadpan romp through the absurd, transactional logic of childhood.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a slightly skewed, mixed-media dream where the bizarre is treated as entirely mundane. The narrative moves at a brisk, chain-reaction pace, driven by a wonderfully deadpan voice that perfectly captures the ruthless, transactional logic of childhood. The gritty, surreal artwork adds a layer of chaotic texture, making the neighborhood feel both familiar and wonderfully strange. It is an experience defined by wry humor and escalating absurdity, never talking down to its audience but instead inviting them into the joke. It will thoroughly delight readers who appreciate a touch of the macabre mixed with their comedy, and anyone who remembers the high-stakes bartering of the playground.
- Mood
- surreal
- quirky
- mildly chaotic
- dreamlike
- Tone
- deadpan
- wry
- absurd
- matter-of-fact
- cheeky
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- childhood logic · sibling dynamics · unintended consequences · absurdity of the mundane
- The writing
- The text is wonderfully deadpan and conversational, treating utterly bizarre situations with a straight face.
- The arc
- Starts with casual mischief, escalates into mild frantic regret, and resolves with a cheeky return to form.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate dark, quirky humor and the bizarre, transactional logic of childhood.
Content notes
- mild sibling antagonism
About the book
This children's book is about a boy who chooses to trade his father for his friend's two goldfish. When his mother returns, she sends the boy and his younger sister on an adventure to return the goldfish and recover their father. However, when the boy arrives at the goldfish owner's home, he finds that his father has been swapped again. This continues, and as the boy and his sister venture throughout their neighborhood, they discover many friends have been a part of the "swap". Ultimately the boy returns his father, and is sworn to never swap his father again. He promises, but then eyes his sister as possible future collateral.
Description from Open Library.
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