Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Fish With a Mission: Chosen For a Shiny Surprise is a religious-themed picture book for children written and illustrated by The Team at Kingdom of Treasure. The Kingdom of Treasure series offers children animal-based stories that are taken from scripture and which illustrate biblical lessons and stories that show God’s love for us. He was only a little yellow fish, but he had heard Jesus ask Peter to find a fish that had a coin in its mouth. The fish began to swim vigorously to find that coin. Finding it, he proceeded to where he would meet Peter. He had a long and sometimes perilous journey to make, but he felt so good about working with Jesus. He didn’t let not knowing the directions or even the scary big fish deter him from his goal. As he swam, he saw other sea creatures watching him and cheering him on as he swam to where Peter was waiting for him.

Fish With a Mission: Chosen For a Shiny Surprise is a gorgeously illustrated tale about a little fish with a big purpose. I loved how these authors instilled real meaning into the biblical passage and made it lively and appealing for young readers. The story line is geared to new readers, with simple word choices and large print, and the underwater illustrations are spectacular. Each panel teems with corals, sea grasses, seahorses, crabs and any number of undersea denizens as they watch the plucky little yellow fish swim past on his mission. There are also marvelous images of the town of Capernaum and the beach where Peter waits. The authors also include a Memory Verse and a link to a Read-A-Long audio version of the book which will be quite helpful for new readers. Fish With a Mission: Chosen For a Shiny Surprise is most highly recommended.