By Jamie Maletta
My son received The Fishy Squishy Goonies of Wabigoon Lake as a Christmas gift, adorably accompanied by a stuffed goon-y goon “Goonie” monster, and a concretion directly from Northwestern Ontario’s Wabigoon Lake itself. It was such a sweet and fun gift with little treasures to hold as you read the book.
The story talks about the lake, the swimming, the fishing, and of course the creatures of the goon-y goon! Adorably described as disgusting yet somehow cute and lovable, the “Goonies” live at the bottom of the waters where they are growing very concerned about the trash, plastic, and rising pollution building up in their lake. Trying their best to keep the lake clean, the Goonies reluctantly tidy, whisk away pop cans, collecting lures and old tires throughout their day. The Goonies are very proud of their lake and tell stories about the lake in the winter and about the shallow waters’ concretions, and of course, they invite the reader to clean up some of the garbage the next time they visit!
This was such a sweet story, and I loved the added lesson surrounding pollution that was written on a level that children can understand. Each page has adorable illustrations, with the story displayed in large font, making reading a little easier for the new book lover in your life.
I’ve passed by this lake numerous times while visiting my parents, and I love the local and close-to-home aspect! My son is only two, but once he’s old enough to understand that the book is about that lake, we will definitely make a trip out there (and, of course, make sure to pick up some trash during our visit)! I always love a local book, and this is one I feel the little reader in your life will truly enjoy!