Customer Reviews

What's It Like to Be a Fish? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My boy brought this home the school library and the title of the book intrigued me. What is it like to swim by swishing your tail, round and round, in a small little bowl; or, eating fish flakes sprinkled from above when the person decides it's time to be fed; or to live in an environment that deteriorates day after day into murkiness until you are suddenly scooped up by a net and put into an even smaller container while your bowl is being cleaned? What IS it like to be a fish? Alas, there are no answers to that question found in this book -- pity.

But ontological musings aside, this book is a good little read for kids who, for the first time, are interested in having a fish as a pet. The book uses the common goldfish as its example. It shows the different environments in which a little child might encounter a fish: a bowl, an aquarium, a plastic bag being brought home from the pet store and swimming around in a backyard pond. It also tells what the different fins are called, how do fish sleep, are they warm or cold-blooded, how do they breath water when I can't, and similar questions a young child might ask when they have their first fish. It tells you how to set up a goldfish bowl and why you put the bag in the water for awhile without setting the fishies free. Basic stuff for the adult, good for the child who shows interest in having a fish pet. Now if only that title-question was answered...

This is an excellent book to introducing the levels of classification for living things. This book explored the physiology of fish in language that young children can understand. The facts are presented in a way that is not overwhelming to children. The illustrations are great and they really show what its like to be a fish. I have used this book with my preschoolers and they love it.

Cute book. I liked all the info except it talks about what temp. to keep your fish tank at.......and I used it for a preschool students. Way over their heads.

Overall, good info, realistic, and cute!

This is a good book for a 10 year old who is interested in taking care of gold fish. It was required reading for my granddaughter who is entering the 1st grade this year. She was not at all ready for so much instruction. The book is well done, but not well received by 6 year old girl.

Wendy Pfeffer has a talent for making difficult science concepts understandable to young children. This is a lively and very kid-friendly book with cheerful illustrations that kids will enjoy and learn from.

The book was a bit too difficult and needed to be edited to teach to Kindergarteners.

Very cute colorful book that explains how fish live and breath. My son loved it.

I can't speak highly enough of the "Let's Read and Find Out Series." My two and four year old boys love to read them. Just enough info to be interesting and instructive for two, three and four year olds.

We have an aquarium nearby, and after reading this book my three year old began appreciating the fish as complex animals instead of glancing at them as he ran by to the next tank.

I'd like to meet another person who has not wondered, at least 16 times, what it is like to be a fish. It's one of those questions I have every 4 or 5 days. This book manages to take 600 pages of material and condense it into 32 pages about being a fish. I'm an outstanding swimmer, but do not have the ability to stay underwater for long periods of time. Fish can do that and that is why I admire them. Fish are kind of cocky about the fact they swim better than I can, but I can tell you one thing, I would not fall for fisherman tricks! If I were a fish and saw a worm on a hook or a lure, I would tell my fish friends that it is a trick and if they try to eat it, they will be on Bill Dance outdoors. If you are lucky, they will let you go, but some people would eat you.

Let me take part of that back, I wouldn't tell all of the fish it's a trick. If there was a particular fish I didn't like, I wouldn't tell him it's a trick. I would say things like, "that suuuure looks tasty and you should eat it". When he did, I would just laugh and tell everyone that I knew it was a trick but that fish was stupid. I would probably date the best looking girl fish because me being a fish wouldn't differ from my human form in that area. I would be charming and attractive, even as a fish.

Get this book and you will know fish like me. Just kidding, you won't know it was well as me, but you won't sound so dumb.