Deep in the sea there lives a happy school of little fish. Their watery world is full of wonders, but there is also danger, and the little fish are...
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Jul 02, 2008
Stephanie
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This book is by far one of my favorites. The two lessons behind this story are that (1) it is ok to be different and to embrace being unique and (2) when people join and collaboratively work with one another you can accomplish any big task ahead of you. This would be a great story to read at the beginning of the school year and to any age! When you begin the year with this book it allows you flow right into the idea that in the classroom we are all going to embrace and welcome everyone's differe
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Jul 19, 2011
The good news is: great illustrations, some memorably poetic lines, nice short text. A lobster is a "water-moving machine," an eel is so long that its tail is hard to remember, other strange fish move as if pulled along on a thread. Those ideas are beautiful and, combined with the painted tableaux, suggest the silent and strange world of coral reef and dream.
The bad news is: it starts with a giant tuna that "one bad day" eats everyone Swimmy knows (in other word More...
The bad news is: it starts with a giant tuna that "one bad day" eats everyone Swimmy knows (in other word More...
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Oct 21, 2010
Ronyell
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I have have heard works from Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Marc Brown and David Wiesner, but I have finally stumbled upon some works that came from my childhood a long time ago and those works consist of Leo Lionni! “Swimmy” is a Caldecott Honor book by Leo Lionni and it is about how an unusual little fish named Swimmy, who survives a giant fish attack, tries to find another family to live with. “Swimmy” may have an intense scene with the big fish that might frighten small children, but I am pret
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Jun 15, 2009
Shanna
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Swimmy is a small black fish, part of a school of small red fish, and when a large tuna eats the rest of his school, he finds himself alone and frightened. He travels through the sea, viewing many strange sights, until he finds another school of red fish. When he asks them to come exploring with him, they are too afraid of being eaten; but he devises a way to venture forth safely, and together they chase the bigger fish away. This simple adventure is illustrated in an unusual collage of ink-pr
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Oct 05, 2010
N_katieg52
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I love this book! Swimmy is a great story with a wonderful message. In this story by Leo Lionni, Swimmy is a little black fish in a school of red fish who all got eaten up by the bad tuna fish. Swimmy was sad but met many new friends in the ocean and found a new school of red fish like his own. They were all still very afraid of the big fish. They decided to swim close together so they looked like one big fish, and Swimmy was the eye. With their teamwork they chased the big fish away. Thi
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Sep 12, 2011
Ms. Cheng
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This picture book is so beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings. It tells a story of a little fish, named Swimmy, who loses his family. He then has to swim in the big ocean all by himself. What do you think you would do if you were in his place?
Swimmy proves that tough situations can be overcome with a little bravery and ingenuity. He doesn't try to swim under a rock to hide his sorrows, rather he swims on, making sure that he makes the most of his time, seeing all the be More...
Swimmy proves that tough situations can be overcome with a little bravery and ingenuity. He doesn't try to swim under a rock to hide his sorrows, rather he swims on, making sure that he makes the most of his time, seeing all the be More...
Mar 12, 2009
Melody
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Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Date of Publication: 1963
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Reading Level: age 4-8
Themes: friendship, courage, cooperation, ocean life, leadership, responsibility, fear
Curricula use: teach children about cooperation, friendship, diversity issues
teach children about the ocean life and the food chain
Social Issues: social class, racial issues, and diversity
Tex More...
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Date of Publication: 1963
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Reading Level: age 4-8
Themes: friendship, courage, cooperation, ocean life, leadership, responsibility, fear
Curricula use: teach children about cooperation, friendship, diversity issues
teach children about the ocean life and the food chain
Social Issues: social class, racial issues, and diversity
Tex More...
Jan 30, 2012
Cameron
rated it:
Swimmy is an amazing tale about diversity, leadership, and being kind to others. Swimmy is the only fish in his family that is born black instead of red. One day, a tuna fish came and gulped up all the red fish. Only Swimmy got away. Swimmy swam deep into the sea, fearing the unknown. But he soon found amazing creatures that he never knew existed. He soon came across a school of red fish, much like his own. On the horizon, there lies a large fish, and if seen, the little school of fish will be e
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Jul 18, 2009
Lv2readB
rated it:
Lionni, L. (1987). Swimmy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Summary:
Swimmy is a fast-swimming black fish in a sea of little red fish. After escaping danger from a tuna fish, he explores the sea world, meeting all kinds of sea creatures. He learns that there is another danger in the sea: a big fish that eats the other creatures. Helping the fish work together, Swimmy comes up with a way to protect themselves being eaten by the big fish.
Reviews/Awards:
Horn Book Guide More...
Summary:
Swimmy is a fast-swimming black fish in a sea of little red fish. After escaping danger from a tuna fish, he explores the sea world, meeting all kinds of sea creatures. He learns that there is another danger in the sea: a big fish that eats the other creatures. Helping the fish work together, Swimmy comes up with a way to protect themselves being eaten by the big fish.
Reviews/Awards:
Horn Book Guide More...
Nov 26, 2011
A cute story about a fish who feels left out because of his color. There aren't many words, but plenty of pretty pictures. In the end, he helps the other fish avoid being eaten by a shark by working together to form one big fish. A good book to read to kids to talk about the meaning of a community and how people, and even fish, can work together to work on and solve problems. This could be applied to the classroom by assigning students to actively engage in ways to work as a team to overcome iss
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Oct 10, 2011
Atziri
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This picture book is beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings. It tells a story about "Swimmy" a little fish that was totally different from all others in his family. Everyone in his family was red colored, but he was black. Swimmy survives a ferocious attack from a tuna and is left with no family. He swims through the ocean and marvels on the beauty of other fish and life in the ocean. He finds another school of fish like his own and joins them. Swimmy teaches them how to wo
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Sep 25, 2011
Sarah
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Swimmy is about a black fish named Swimmy who teaches a red school of fish about life in the sea. When Swimmy’s brothers and sisters get eaten by a tuna he is forced to find a new family of fish. He is sad and wonders around the sea for a while but finally finds another red school of fish. When he finds them they are scared that they will be eaten by bigger fish, so they will not explore the ocean. Swimmy teaches them how to swim close together as one giant fish so that big fish will not eat
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Jun 14, 2010
Andrew
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Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. New York: Random House, 1973. Print.
This tells the story of Swimmy, a little fish who ends up travelling throughout the sea looking at the different things that wildlife does to protect itself. After he realizes that everything has potential to be something it isn’t, he returns back to more fish like him and gets them to travel in large groups to protect each other. The artistic style of the book is very pleasing, the colors are not too intense, and they are done More...
This tells the story of Swimmy, a little fish who ends up travelling throughout the sea looking at the different things that wildlife does to protect itself. After he realizes that everything has potential to be something it isn’t, he returns back to more fish like him and gets them to travel in large groups to protect each other. The artistic style of the book is very pleasing, the colors are not too intense, and they are done More...
Mar 21, 2011
Beckie
rated it:
This book is one of my absolute favorite! Swimmy is a wonderful book that reminds individuals to embrace their uniqueness and to never underestimate the importance they play in life. In the book, Swimmy learns to appreciate his differences which ultimately help him plot a wonderful plan that helps keep him and the other fish safe. You could use this book as a reminder for students to work together, or you could also implement great writing prompts and include predictions. I would recommend this
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May 28, 2010
Joy
rated it: 
Level: L
Swimmy is dark black unlike his brothers and sisters who are little red fish. He is the only one to escape a big fish and goes off on his own.
1964 Caldecott Honor Book--It was beat by Where the Wild Things Are so I can definitely see why it lost. The other books nominated were All in the Morning Early and Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes. More...
Swimmy is dark black unlike his brothers and sisters who are little red fish. He is the only one to escape a big fish and goes off on his own.
1964 Caldecott Honor Book--It was beat by Where the Wild Things Are so I can definitely see why it lost. The other books nominated were All in the Morning Early and Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes. More...
Apr 13, 2010
Katie
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Genre: diverse populations
Number of Pages: 32
Grade Level or Age: 4-8 years
Theme: loss of family, survival
Summary:
Swimmy is a brave little fish who is not like the rest of his family. He is black, the rest of them are red. His family members can't swim very fast but he can out-swim any of them. One day, a big fish comes and eats his family, leaving him the sole survivor. Not knowing what else to do, Swimmy does what he does best... More...
Number of Pages: 32
Grade Level or Age: 4-8 years
Theme: loss of family, survival
Summary:
Swimmy is a brave little fish who is not like the rest of his family. He is black, the rest of them are red. His family members can't swim very fast but he can out-swim any of them. One day, a big fish comes and eats his family, leaving him the sole survivor. Not knowing what else to do, Swimmy does what he does best... More...
Jul 30, 2009
Kathryn
rated it:
What an odd little book! It recounts the adventures of Swimmy after his school of fish is eaten and he seeks out to find a new one. Along the way, he meets other sea creatures. Some of the phrases are quite good, "and eel whose tail was almost too far away to remember" and some are quite dull, "a strange fish pulled by an invisible thread." The illustrations interesting but not altogether my cup of tea, though I appreciate their merits. Overall, not a favorite, but I'm gl
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Oct 10, 2011
Jordan
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This was a fun read! I liked how Lionni used paint for his illustrations, it made the pictures look very unique and it caught my attention very fast. I think that this story would be a good book for younger elementary children because it teaches them to work together to achieve goals no matter if you are different or not. At the end of the story, I like how all of the fish got together and scare the big bad tuna fish away using teamwork. This book teaches a good lesson about sticking together wi
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Jun 04, 2011
Jessica
rated it: 
This book is ok, but not something very appealing to my 3-year-old. She prefers books with well defined pictures, not water colors that are kind of blurred.
I wasn't too ecstatic about the plot either. The whole idea of the fish losing his family then being okay with it a page later is odd. Yes, the plot had to be simple for a young child - so why introduce that aspect at all. I think the book tries to introduce a complicated feeling in too short and simple a way. JMHO
I wasn't too ecstatic about the plot either. The whole idea of the fish losing his family then being okay with it a page later is odd. Yes, the plot had to be simple for a young child - so why introduce that aspect at all. I think the book tries to introduce a complicated feeling in too short and simple a way. JMHO
Jan 21, 2011
Jeanette
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I read a lot of pictures books. Some I like, some I groan inwardly while reading, and then there are some that I just love reading from the first read. This book falls into that last category.
I loved the colorful sponge paintings and the story about Swimmy, the fish that was a little different and lonely, was just charming.
And my kids like it too which means I get to read it and look at the pictures a lot! :-)
I loved the colorful sponge paintings and the story about Swimmy, the fish that was a little different and lonely, was just charming.
And my kids like it too which means I get to read it and look at the pictures a lot! :-)
Jan 28, 2009
Ami
rated it:
I made a poster for a friend using the famous union "Organize" poster as an inspiration. When I gave it to her, though, she immediately thought of this book, in which a school of fish similarly organizes to form the shape of a larger fish in order to protect itself. I wonder, now, which one came first. Did the union image actually come from a children's book? That'd be pretty cool.
NB: The watercolor artwork is a great medium for the setting.
NB: The watercolor artwork is a great medium for the setting.
Apr 07, 2011
Sacha
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Beautiful. But weird. On the first page Swimmy's whole family gets eaten. He's not very upset by this and eventually takes over another family. Perhaps this is too nit-picky, but I also didn't like some of Swimmy's descriptions. For example, how would a fish know what pink palm trees look like? Still the artwork is lovely. Until kido can read it is not a bad book to make one's own story up for.
Jan 22, 2012
Abi
rated it:
This picture book has beautiful illustrations. It tells a story of a little fish, named Swimmy, who loses his family. He then has to swim in the big ocean all by himself. Swimmy shows how tough situations can be overcome with the help of a strong community. This would be a cute first day of school book to teach children that everyone has something unique to contribute and help each other.
Apr 11, 2011
Kido
rated it:
Beautiful. But weird. On the first page Swimmy's whole family gets eaten. He's not very upset by this and eventually takes over another family. Perhaps this is too nit-picky, but I also didn't like some of Swimmy's descriptions. For example, how would a fish know what pink palm trees look like? Still the artwork is lovely. Until kido can read, it is not a bad book to make one's own story up for.
Mar 17, 2011
Janice
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Swimmy is a odd one in a school of red fish. He's black. A shark comes along and eats all the red fish in the school. Swimmy is lonely and swims away from home. He sees some marvelous creatures and finds a new school of fish. They won't go out to explore because of the danger from the big fish. Swimmy comes up with an ingenious way to scare away the big fish and allow the little ones to explore.
Jun 15, 2010
jacky
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The summer reading program this summer (2010) is Make a Splash with Reading, so story time today was 5 fish books. I liked what I could see of the illustrations from where we were sitting. They were more detailed, than bold. I liked the story of how the fish work together. The fear of the big fish and the school of fish making a large fish reminded me of Finding Nemo.
Apr 22, 2010
Ashley
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In this Caldecott Honor book, we learn the strength of collective action and that it’s okay to be different. Swimmy, the only black fish in a school of red fish, is the only fish fast enough to escape an attack from a tuna fish. Later on, he comes across another school of red fish and develops a plan to protect both himself and his newfound friends.
Jun 26, 2010
J-Lynn
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Swimmy is the one black fish in a school of red fishies. When all of his brothers and sisters are eaten, he finds another school of red fish and teaches them how to swim in formation like a giant fish to scare away the predators.
The watercolor paintings mix free form and sponges to create an underwater world full of peril and happiness.
The watercolor paintings mix free form and sponges to create an underwater world full of peril and happiness.
Feb 08, 2012
Lucy
rated it:
Nice book, but it does not offer to the reader enough colored pictures. The story was interesting, but will be much better to see bright colors on its illustrations.
Extension:
Talk to the children about Sealife. How interesting is to learn about all creatures we can find under water. Show them pictures about different kind of fish like: sharks, dolphins, wales, wales, etc.
Great science project.
Extension:
Talk to the children about Sealife. How interesting is to learn about all creatures we can find under water. Show them pictures about different kind of fish like: sharks, dolphins, wales, wales, etc.
Great science project.
Nov 02, 2011
Emily
rated it:
Great creative problem-solving, Swimmy! Wonderful messages for kids about the strength that comes from both unity and diversity and the need to think "outside the box." The beautiful pictures are very evocative of the world under the sea. I'm intrigued by the illustrations and would love to know more about Mr. Lionni's techniques.
