Book Club: Ugly Fish

Today’s selection is Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau and illustrated by Scott Magoon. Released in 2006, this book is a “classic” in our house and has been on heavy rotation in the evening Story Time Lineup. Its funny, a little disturbing and has a great moral – exactly what we look for in a book!

“Ugly Fish is ugly and big and mean, and he won’t share his driftwood tunnel or his special briny flakes with anyone. And that means the wimpy little fish who keep showing up in his tank have got to go. But then one day someone bigger and uglier and maybe even meaner arrives . . . and suddenly Ugly Fish isn’t feeling quite so confident anymore.”

My oldest, Amelia, identifies with Ugly Fish because she has a tendency to be a bit crabby. Its good to reinforce the idea that being a bully doesn’t get anyone anywhere without sounding like a time-out quality lecture. The girls get really excited each time Ugly Fish dispatches one of the newcomers (by EATING THEM) and by the time Ugly Fish gets his comeuppance, they are in fits of laughter. That being said, its important to know that my kids are a little weird!

CHOMP CHOMP!

Ugly Fish would make a great addition to any kid’s bookshelf and is fun for adults to read too. If I had to read another book about fluffy bunnies and sleepy kittens, I was going to LOSE IT! You can score this off-kilter gem on Amazon or at your local bookstore.

Check out Scott Magoo’s other illustrations here.

And author Kara LaReau on Facebook and Twitter.

*I was not compensated in any form for this review… I just love this book!*