A RIDDLE OF EELS: A Mystery in an Enigma

RANDOM HOUSE STUDIO, 2026

Nonfiction books should, by definition, share information, right? A RIDDLE OF EELS, written by Nicholas Day and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor, offers loads of information, facts, details. Intriguing ones. Fascinating ones. 

But very few answers. 

In fact, there are more questions than answers.

The watery, rainbow-swirling endpapers serve well to overcome my natural aversion to snakelike things. (One important fact, eels are fish, not snakes.) The first double spread has an opening line that invites an immersive experience..."If you were an eel, all slimy and sleek..."  A boy in ballcap transforms into an eel in a fishbowl sporting that same cap. From that point on, the text uses second person address with the assumption that readers have suspended reality and allowed themselves to be an eel, for just a bit. Lighthearted humor enhances a well-paced and accessible text that addresses the central issue of the title and contents:  

EELS ARE A MYSTERY!  The more we know and learn, the more questions arise.

Eels are found everywhere, although back matter mentions that most information about eels in this material references American and European eels. Back matter points out that eels are highly endangered by extinction, making study urgent!  And yet the biggest questions remain unanswered. It's not for lack of curiosity or intentional study. In fact, the "facts" known (and then found to be untrue) stretch back through time, cultures, mythology, and legend. The word "ACTUALLY" plays an important role throughout, since statements of fact, over time, have been followed by contradictory information and discoveries. Thus, ACTUALLY, even what we know now is incomplete and confusing. 

I will not offer specifics, since there is so much surprise and seriously head-shaking content throughout. By the time the main text concludes (in a trail of open-ended wonderings) any eel-ish-reader just might want to stay an eel and try to find some answers of their own. 

I'll admit I almost didn't read or review this book. I'm not exactly a fan of eels, conditioned by years of associating eels with snakes and other slimy, slithery critters. I have never longed to taste an eel, to hold one, or to even see one up close. 

I know, I'm a wimp and far too affected by childhood viewing of Tarzan and other jungle movies. My brain says that's foolish, but my impulse when it comes to eels is to look away. 

Until I realized that the creative team behind this book is amazing and the cover itself is so reader-friendly! Those colors and eyes and the overall energy meant I gave it a try. I'm happy I did so and I hope you will, too.