Ten Little Fish [Hardcover]

Audrey Wood (Author), Bruce Wood (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004 | Age Range: 3 - 5 years

Bestselling author Audrey Wood and artist son Bruce create an undersea counting book that's full of the same vivid imagery and fun story elements that have made their alphabet books so successful!

It's an undersea countdown in the newest book by bestselling author Audrey Wood and her dynamic, digital-artist son, Bruce. Follow ten little fish as they swim along a beautiful ocean reef, one by one departing from the school for different reasons, eventually leaving one fellow all alone. What will he do? Along comes another, and that makes two! Soon he becomes a father and she becomes a mother--with ten little children of their own. The rhyming text helps readers go from one to ten and back again, and each illustration pops with all the color and depth of an underwater playground.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K–From 10 to 1, this creative counting book features a school of colorful, Nemo-like fish as they gradually disappear from readers' view. Each spread contains a couplet with the final rhyming number word appearing after turning the page–"Ten Little Fish, swimming in a line./One dives down, and now there are…." The cleverness is not in the poetry, but rather in the simple plot line. After the author counts down to 1, she quickly brings the number back up again, as the final fish finds a mate and they have 10 little babies. The digitally created art has a 3-D appearance. In one picture, a fish peers out of a glass bottle at the bottom of the sea, and its features are appropriately distorted. Bubbles with a luminescent sheen surround all of the brightly colored creatures. The clear-water turquoise and vibrant chartreuse used for the backgrounds stunningly show off the multicolored animals. This concept book will appeal to children who are drawn to the filmlike artistry of the pictures.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. In this simple counting story from the mother-son team, glossy computer-generated illustrations show a school of cute, expressive tropical fish that disappear, one per spread, providing a descending counting exercise that leaves one yellow fish. Then lonely yellow meets and falls in love with an attractive green that happens by, and the two parents create a new school of fish to be counted. The circular story and the bouncing rhymes, which create just the right suspense with each page turn, will encourage preschoolers to gleefully chant along, and the bright, tropical underwater world filled with adorable Nemo-like fish will delight young fans of the cartoon feature. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 5 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439635691
• ISBN-13: 978-0439635691
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish

More About the Author

AUDREY WOOD is the much-loved author of more than thirty books for children, including the bestselling The Napping House, Piggies, Heckedy Peg, and most recently, Piggy Pie Po, which she collaborated on with her husband, Don Wood.
She lives in Hawaii.

My first memories are of Sarasota, Florida in the winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I was one year old and remember it vividly. My father, an art student, was making extra income by repainting circus murals.

The people in the circus were my friends. I was bounced on the knee of the tallest man in the world and rocked in the arms of the fat lady who could not stand up. My first baby-sitters were a family of little people who lived in a trailer next to ours. They tAudrey2old me stories about the animals they worked with: Chi Chi the Chimpanzee, an elephant named Elder, and Gargantua the Gorilla.

My mother says I was a fast learner, always ahead of my age. My father taught me to swim before I could walk. I walked at seven months and climbed over a seven foot chain link fence when I was one year old. Everyone in the circus thought I was going to be a trapeze artist.

When I was two, I traveled with my parents to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where they studied art. Spanish became my second language. Because my mother read to me every day, I fell in love with books and was reading by age three.

My parents had two more girls, which made me the oldest sister. All of us were trained in the arts: music, dance, painting, and drama. We had a miniature stage in our basement, complete with light-bulb floodlights and a dusty red velvet curtain. Admission for the plays we produced was a bargain--twenty-five cents.

When I was in the first grade, I wanted to grow up to be an artist like my father. Then, in the fourth grade, I decided I'd like to be a children's book author. As an adult who writes and illustrates children's books, I have realized both my childhood ambitions.

I got in trouble in school once for crossing out my favorite author's name and putting in mine--Audrey Brewer instead of Dr. Seuss!

My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all professional artists. Since I am also a professional artist, there are four consecutive generations of artists in our family. However, I am the only female artist.

On our honeymoon, I read my new husband Don Wood the classic children's book entitled At the Back of the North Wind. Seven years later, we teamed up to create our first picture book together.

When our son Bruce Robert was two years old, I began to read picture books to him. He helped to remind me of my childhood ambitions. That's when I began to write children's books seriously.

www.Audreywood.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great picture book January 11, 2005

By T. Clapp

Format:Hardcover

This book is great! My two year old especially loves it. I can't even tell you how many times we have read it. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and engaging. It is also a wonderful counting book. The story that goes with the counting is entertaining and my child has enjoyed counting along it. I would definately recommend this book for ages 1-6.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully delightful book for the little ones July 20, 2005

By Victoria Lentine

Format:Hardcover

My older son brought this book home from the library to read to his 27 month old brother. My younger son absolutely and totally ADORES this book. Not only does this book help teach your little one to count and colors, but it also gives them a sense of rhyming words and the fish also bring a plus side to it. A must have for any parent with little ones. This book will keep them amused for hours on end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Counting Book February 21, 2013

By Carolyn A. Brown

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bright and eye catching details, yet simple subtraction book. We have made fish many times after reading this book. Subtraction can be a hard concept for children. This cute story helps build that concept.