Ten Little Fish (Hardcover)

by Audrey Wood (Author), Bruce Wood (Illustrator) "Ten Little Fish, swimming in a line..." (more)

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

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439635691
• ISBN-13: 978-0439635691
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #230,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #31 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Wood, Audrey & Don
  #66 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	T. Clapp (Texas, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sneaky injection of religious values?, October 25, 2008

By	schmoogie (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

"Ten Little Fish" is an adorable book with issues. Bruce Wood used computers to generate the beautiful illustrations. The story is very well written by Audrey Wood. The title is perfect as a read-aloud with very young children. The repetitive plot and rhyming words invite interaction. The book is especially useful for teaching children to count to ten. How can a book with so much going for it earn only four stars? At one point, a fish swims toward heaven. Why is religiously charged language used in a book available from a conventional school library and book store? Not everybody believes in heaven; such language is inappropriate in this environment. Was Wood really unable to think of anything else to rhyme with seven?

Before slamming the "not helpful" button, I'd like to leave the reader an afterthought. I want to make it clear that I don't believe that there is anything wrong with religious literature. The issue is that this book pretends to be a typical secular minded book, similar to the rest of Bruce and Audrey Wood's esteemed bibliography. False advertising or the lack of is the problem. If a parent is raising a child as a Christian, the issue that I raised here may seem invisible. So consider how your feelings for this book might change had the fish launched itself to Buddhist Nirvana, plane of the sky goddess or realm of the ancestor. For a counting book, why invoke the supernatural at all? While this title may just happen to align with your values, consider that unless a book is advertised for a niche market, it really should be for everybody.

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 "Torrey317" (Philadelphia, Pa United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.