The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark [Hardcover]

Deborah Diesen (Author), Dan Hanna (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2010 | Age Level: 3 and up

Summary:
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About the Author:

•

DEBORAH DIESEN currently works for a nonprofit organization and has also worked as a librarian and a bookseller. She lives in Grand Ledge, Michigan. DAN HANNA has over ten years' experience in the animation industry, and his work has appeared on the Cartoon Network. He lives in Oxnard, California.

Author: Deborah Diesen
Illustrator: Dan Hanna
Publisher:Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published Date:08/17/2010
Format:Hardcover
ISBN:0374307989
#of pages:#N/A

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mr. Fish wants to help his friend Ms. Clam when she loses her pearl, but though he’s fast as a sailfish, as smart as dolphin, and as strong as a shark, Mr. Fish has a secret: he’s scared of the dark!

Very young children will swim along with Mr. Fish as he journeys deep into the ocean to new and mysterious places. They will discover, as Mr. Fish does, the power of friendship to light the way through the big-big dark.

A Look Inside The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark
(Click on Images to Enlarge)

Fast as a sailfish, strong as a shark	A whirl of wriggly worms
Mr. Fish felt despair!	Mr. Fish grew grimmer

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1–Mr. Fish goes on an undersea adventure to reclaim Ms. Clam's lost pearl. Repeating his mantra, "I'm FAST as a sailfish,/I'm STRONG as a shark,/I'm SMART as a dolphin," he nervously admits, "But I'm SCARED OF THE DARK!" As he ventures through deeper and darker waters, his resolution falters: "I know I made a promise,/But this fish is headin' back!" With the help of Miss Shimmer and Mr. Lantern, he not only conquers his fears, but also finds the missing pearl. The playful, rhyming verse is well matched with Hanna's funny cartoon illustrations. The whimsical sea creatures include a puffer fish reading Diesen's The Pout-Pout Fish (Farrar, 2008). A buoyant tale.Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (August 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374307989
• ISBN-13: 978-0374307981
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish
  • #91 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Emotions & Feelings

More About the Author

I'm a children's book author who lives in Michigan. My books include The Pout-Pout Fish; The Pout-Pout Fish In The Big-Big Dark; and The Barefooted, Bad-Tempered Baby Brigade.

For more information about my books, including free activity sheets, stop by my web site at www.deborahdiesen.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah Pout Pout!, August 17, 2010

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark (Hardcover)

Never have I waited for the release of a picture book with such eager anticipation! Over the past year or so I have watched hundreds of children become charmed by the story of the Pout Pout Fish , so I opened this one up with bated breath and loads of expectations. The great news is that this one more than lives up to its predecessor!

The illustrations are colorful, whimsical and drawn with so much humorous detail that kids will enjoy repeatedly exploring them. The rhymes are never forced and the author has mastered that storyteller's rhythm that makes for a great read aloud. This stands out as a lighthearted approach to a very real fear that most children have - fear of the dark. It's not scary, and the repeated message that our Pout Pout is indeed too fast and brave and smart to really be scared of the dark is a good one. This one is very fun to read and I am very excited over the prospect of reading it to my regular story time crowds. It's a bit longer than the original Pout Pout but still well within the range for a good preschool read aloud. The message that friends help each other is always a winner, and the repeating (very clever) refrain as Pout Pout Fish convinces himself that he is brave enough to help his friend both mark this one as an excellent choice for story time. Congratulations to the author for delivering another great read and making all of us library story readers sound so good!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sequel - Not as Good as the First, March 23, 2011

By 

CarmelV (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark (Hardcover)

I was a little disappointed after reading this book for the first time. It is not as good as the first one. The flow of the story and the ease of the rhyme are missing. As another reviewer commented, the rhyming does seem forced and clumsy in certain parts of the book. The story itself is nice. It's about friendship, encouragement, and conquering your fears with the help of a friend. The illustrations are just as beautiful as the first book. The Pout-Pout Fish is a super fun read and easily one of my favorites, but The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark is just okay. I will say that my son loves this book just as much as the first, so I guess in the end, that is all that matters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read-Aloud - a review of Pout-Pout in the Big-Big Dark, September 20, 2010

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark (Hardcover)

"The Pout-Pout in the Big-Big Dark" is funny and sweet and a great Read-Aloud and I don't know why it hasn't received more press and more reviews here at Amazon and elsewhere.

A follow-up to The Pout-Pout Fish, in this book Pout-Pout leaps into action when Ms. Clam loose her pearl. Trying to calm the distraught mussel, Pout-y promises to bring it back, and thus he sets off follows the errant pearl down hill and into deeper waters.

Everything goes alright until it begins to get dark. Then Pout-Pout begins to have second thoughts. A voice in the dark though -- that cute lady fish from the first book-- helps him through the trying moments, as other aquatic buddies do before and after.

THE SKINNY:::
A nice message about friendship here, as well as one about how, with a little confidence, we can overcome our fears. I really like Pout-Pout Fish's mantra which includes strong positive points to offset his fear.

The books refrain is:

'I'm FAST as a sailfish,
I'm STRONG as a shark,
I'm SMART as a dolphin,
But I'm SCARED OF THE DARK!'

Pam T~
mom/blogger
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