The Big Fish

In this modern folktale, Jolko and Mila yearn for a child. Their prayer is answered by a magical fish who whisks them off on a journey with the promise of a child at the end. But on seeing the prospective offspring, the two shriek--somewhat jarringly--``She can't be our daughter! That girl is completely black and we are white.'' So they reject that toddler, an ``entirely brown'' boy and ``all yellow'' siblings until the fish loses patience and abandons them to the ocean. Luckily the pair lives to learn that the color of one's skin should not create barriers and that people of different races can live together in harmony. While this message is ultimately favorable, the xenophobic duo's outcries will strike many as unpleasant despite the book's happy if simplistic ending. The couple's initial viewpoint runs the risk of introducing youngsters to outdated--and unwelcome--ideas and may raise feelings of insecurity among children of multiracial families. Khing's amusingly detailed illustrations are sweetly naive; particularly impressive are his depictions of ever-changing underwater panoramas. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)