Eli the Eel
Trina Burkhart
GramWorks Studio (2025)
ISBN: 979-8999937308
Reviewed by Elizabeth Upshur for Reader Views (12/2025)
Trina Burkhart’s picture book Eli the Eel is a fantastic romp, captivating lesson, and overall uplifting educational narrative in the vein of a modern fable. Our story opens with Eli, a green Moray eel who lives underwater in a small aquatic community. There are fish, octopi, and reptiles, but unlike the other fish, Eli doesn’t have close friends. They see him…but they never take the time to get to know him or to visit him at his house.
Eli would love to have more friends, and for them to visit his house so that they can all be one big happy community! Eli tries to be friendly, but because he looks different, other fish keep their distance, or even swim away from him if he says hello! But then, one day, a big, scary storm sends all the fish looking for safety and shelter. Can Eli save the day and change the way the community thinks of him? Read these splashy 33 pages with your sea-loving Littles to find out!
The cover art grabs your attention from the very beginning with its strong use of green and blue, and pops of orange colored coral. Eli the eel is drawn with warm, yellow eyes and the brightest smile that will make kids want to know more about this dapper little fellow. The illustrations definitely pop and add to the loneliness and ostracization that Eli feels as he goes about his day at the beginning of the story. Burkhart also expertly demonstrates the danger and fear that the whole community experiences in the storm that threatens them later on in the book. Each fish on its own is cute, animated, and opinionated, so readers will have lots of fun making up voices for these stunning, adorable little undersea characters! Lastly, the rhyme scheme is pleasant and thoughtful, not forced at all, offering an even flow and tempo to the story as the pages unfold.
Overall, I would categorize Eli the Eel as a good read, with plenty of teachable moments to share with your toddler or preschooler!