The Little Fish That Got Away

by Bernadine Cook, Crockett Johnson

THE LITTLE FISH THAT GOT AWAY A little boy goes fishing every day, but he never catches anything–no, not a single fish. So he waits and waits and waits, until one special day when a fish comes swimming by.... Illustrated by the incomparable Crockett Johnson, this simple, engaging story about a little boy and a clever fish was a hit with young readers–and young fishermen–when it was first published in 1957. This enticing new edition is certain to hook new fans!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, 1st Grade

66 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1956

Reviews

[Rod Brown]

This book very effectively captures the sheer tedium that is fishing through an incredible amount of repetition in the words and pictures. Words repeat, sentences repeat, pages repeat, and the main character just sits there the whole time with only slight variations from how he appears on the cover.. And all in order to play off the old fisherman's saw of "the one that got away." The title reveals the closest thing the book has to a twist.

Waste of time.

[Meredith]

As a twist on the usual fisherman's tale, it's the little fish that gets away.

One day a little boy who usually has no luck fishing has a spetacular catch. He catches a great great big fish, a great big fish, and a big fish, but the little fish gets away. While he is initially upset by this, he quickly finds humor in the situation.

I don't think many young readers will get the joke, which is an allusion to you should have seen the one that got away assertions. But they may appreciate the little boy's perseverance and reward for not giving up.

There is a lot of repetition in the text, which enables young readers to participate in the story and anticipate what will happen next. Personally, I thought there was too much repetition, and it got on my nerves fairly quickly.

The best part of this book is the illustrations, which were done by the Crockett Johnson who Illustrated Harold and the Purple Crayon.

[Deb]

I'm warming up to the repetitive story form. When I read this with Katherine I was rather lukewarm about it, probably just trying to get to the end. With Emily we relish each "around and around and around and around" and swim our fingers around on the page. It's one of the longest stories she has paid attention to. Definitely a book meant to read and act aloud.

[Josh Williams]

This book was about a little boy who always went out to fish and never got anything. then one day he went out and he got 3 big fish to take home to get. the only fish he did not get was a littler fish. this book would be good to teach kids never to give up. the pictures in this book where done with color and ink.

[Jackie]

The Little Fish that Got Away is a story of persistence and patience with the face of a little boy. The little boy waits patiently for his big catch and it finally comes.

Used for "Fish-A-Mania" Storytime-July, 2010.

[Michelle King]

This is a funny little story. This book is about a little boy's fishing adventure. This book is great for beginning readers. It has lots of repetition. It will help the children recognize repeating words in a story. I would recommend this book to my lower level elementary grades.

[Matt Shaqfan]

I really did not like this book. I don't like the writing that thinks it's cute, and I don't like the smug brat who keeps killing the big fish. His three person family does not need that many fish to eat. There isn't even a moral at the end of the story. Big time thumbs down.

[Melanie]

Andre and Peter both enjoyed this book.

[Kristine Cook]

This story shows how a little perseverance goes a long way. The little boy gets the satisfaction of not only catching his fish, but providing a meal for his family.

[Kristine]

This story shows how a little perseverance goes a long way. The little boy gets the satisfaction of not only catching his fish, but providing a meal for his family.

[Rachel]

This is a great book for learning size. The words for the size are capitalized to show the difference. Plus it is a cute story for kids.

[Life Between Coffee Spoons]

This story shows how a little perseverance goes a long way. The little boy gets the satisfaction of not only catching his fish, but providing a meal for his family.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 86776 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.8 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP

[Erin]

A little long, but still good for preschool storytimes. Lots of repetition.

[Kerin]

My daughter loves the repetition in this book. The anticipation builds throughout the story. She has most of the words memorized because she asks to read it again and again.

[Maggie]

Reread - 16/6/16

Probably one of my favorite childhood books.

[Barb Kelly]

Laugh along with the Little Boy as he goes fishing - find out who gets caught and who gets away!

[Kelly Vavala]

Another one of my favorites!

[Jessica]

Cute, old book with a few superlatives. My young children loved this book and it was quite entertaining to read.

[Emily Tu]

In, “The Little Fish That Got Away,” by Bernadine Cook, a little boy enjoys fishing but has never caught a fish before. One day, the little boy goes fishing again and a big fish repeatedly swims around his bait in the water, but then swims away. Instead of giving up, the little boy decides to continue waiting for the fish no matter how long it takes. Finally, when the boy thinks about giving up, he decides against it and continues to wait for the giant fish in which he finally catches. By never giving up, even when it gets tiring and the fish continues to swim up to the bait but swims away, the little boy is able to catch the fish. In Nodelman’s, “Decoding the Images How Picture Books Work,” Nodelman mentions that many behaviors depicted are stereotypical that it seems inevitable when the ending can be expected (133). Catching a fish is notably a hard task that takes a lot of time and perseverance. “The Little Fish That Got Away” reinforces this idea as the little boy waits patiently to catch this big fish that keeps swimming up to him, then away. As the pages goes on, and the boy continues to wait, it plays with the idea of when the boy will finally catch the fish- if ever. By showing the boy continuously waiting, it enforces the idea of perseverance the boy has as he continues to wait because he knows he will eventually catch a fish, he just cannot give up when the first fish swims away.

[Prabhat sharma]

The Little Fish That Got Away by Berandine Cook Illustrator Crockett Johnson- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The Book narrates the story of a a little boy goes fishing every day, but he never catches a fish. One day he is exposed to cold and takes medicine and rest. Next day, he digs for fresh earthworms and moves to the fishing area. He puts the line in water and waits for the fish. After a little wait, a big fish comes and is caught, then a large fish is caught. He keeps them in a basket. He tries again. A small fish arrives but does not take the line. He returns home with the fishes. His mother cooks the fish. The little boy informs his mother that he was unable to catch the small fish. The book has a lot of repetition. This will spoil the continuity of the reader. I have read this book in Hindi language. The coloured illustrations help the reader to relate and associate the story.

[Cheryl]

Checked out for the Crockett Johnson illustrations. They're fine.

I would've loved the story when I was little. Heck, would've had fun with it when my kids were little. Now, I'm feeling a bit less keen on it somehow. And of course it's got no value to vegetarians, which I'm glad to see that more and more of us are becoming.


(I'm getting closer! Most days are meatless, and the rest are usually fish.)

[Janelle Martin]

I'm not sure that I would enjoy this book quite so much if I didn't have memories of reading this book as a child. But since I do, I have had alot of fun reading this book aloud to nieces and nephews and now my own children. I love watching them wait eagerly through each set of around and around and around... and just wishing the fish would take a nibble!

[Patrice]

BookTree
S&E loved!

[Lauri Meyers]

My 4-year-old self just wants to say she loved this early reader with all its fishing drama. Patience pays off. Smiling while waiting, smiling when successful, and smiling humor in life.

[Roger]

I *love* this little boy. I think it’s Harold from Harold and The Purple Crayon. So glad to find him in a new-to-me story. And it’s a funny story too.

[Chrissy]

Really cute book and a lot of fun. The format is too small for Storytime, though.