How Goldfish Find Their Way by Steven Uwajeh
What's It About?
“In this world, we all have things that we can do better than everyone else, and when we acknowledge each other’s gifts, we can work together to be healthy and happy.”Tucked away in a little lake, a school of goldfish has a big problem. As the Earth warms, their watery home is shrinking, and its temperature is rising. Predators are creeping closer, hungrier than ever. It seems that their beloved lake is growing more dangerous every day.
It’s this conundrum that fuels Steven Uwajeh’s tale, How Goldfish Find Their Way (Gatekeeper Press). As the school of goldfish surveys their situation, they come to a difficult decision: they need to find a new home, and quickly. The problem is, how are they going to get there? No one knows how to navigate their way to a new lake. Surely, they’ll need a guide — a fish who can swim faster than goldfish, who can scout ahead and spot oncoming dangers.
When the goldfish ask the wise tortoise Kanayo for advice, however, he gives an unexpected answer. Why not take Ogbi, the eagle? The goldfish immediately shoot down the idea. Why would they take a bird with them on their quest to find new waters? But by opting to go alone, the school of goldfish ends up making the journey more difficult for themselves. It seems the answer to smooth travel may have been in front of them the whole time.
Celebrating What Makes Us Different
In this contemplative children’s book, Uwajeh asks children to consider the merits of embracing our differences. From group projects to problem-solving, working together is a necessary lesson for kids to learn. But when we only stick to people with similar skill sets and perspectives to our own, we miss out on an opportunity for growth.
With the book’s thoughtful text and colorful illustrations, it manages to impart a profound lesson using spirited animals that will grab children’s attention. With longer text, the book is intended for ages 6 to 9 — a crucial time in the development of interpersonal skills. It’s the perfect time to introduce more complex lessons like this one: the benefits of playing on our different strengths, rather than simply sticking to what’s familiar. When we all bring something to the table, we have the best chance of succeeding — and might even learn something new in the process!
As Kanayo tells the goldfish, it isn’t enough for them all to be good swimmers. Ogbi’s speed and flight brings a unique new skill to the table. Just because it’s different than what the goldfish are used to doesn’t make it bad! And this time, the goldfish finally understand his wisdom:
“After learning this important lesson, the fish spent the rest of the day celebrating their arrival in their new home, and they each promised to never forget that everyone has something special to offer in this world.”
Kanayo the tortoise’s words ring true for us, as well. While we may not be looking for a new lake to call home, his lesson is just as relevant to the problems we all face in our own lives, no matter our age or experience. How Goldfish Find Their Way reminds us that when we work together and keep an open mind, we’re capable of doing incredible things that we never would have accomplished on our own.
Steven Uwajeh has lived on three continents and travelled the world. He is an avid observer of the interplay between nature, people and cultures, and how these interactions differ globally. His goal as an author is to raise awareness in people both young and old, and organizations as well, to see and appreciate the varied beauty present in the world. Spreading a message of inclusiveness and understanding is the purpose of his debut picture book. He is an alumnus of International House (New York), Columbia University (New York), IE Business School (Madrid, Spain) and Covenant University (Nigeria).
