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Barry the Fish with Fingers
Fish come from all over the ocean to see Puffy the Puffer Fish's amazing bubbles. Big bubbles, small bubbles, square bubbles ...they've never seen anything quite so amazing, that is until Barry arrives on the scene. Barry is a fish with fingers and he's going to put them to great use. The fish are amazed. Life under the sea will never be the same again ...
32 pages, Board book
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
December 27, 2016
A firm favourite of ours! We love the bright, bold illustrations, and the storyline is hilarious. Just the fact that he has 'fish fingers' on his 'hands' makes me chuckle!
June 1, 2021
read this at school.
The kids loved it.
The kids loved it.
September 10, 2016
Fantástico.
Ya os dije que este curso tengo que enseñar a leer a mis alumnos antes de compartir nuevas historias con ellos, pero eso no quiere decir que no veamos bonitos cuentos en clase.
Llevo varios días buscando algún cuento motivador para contarles en estos primeros dias y este me ha enamorado. La historia es genial y las ilustraciones no pueden ser más bonitas...tienen colores muy llamativos y se pueden trabajar muchos contenidos a través de sus dibujos (la vida en el mar, las características de los peces, las figuras planas, los colores, la amistad, los celos, la envidia, el sentido del tacto...). Estoy convencida de que les va a encantar.
Ya os dije que este curso tengo que enseñar a leer a mis alumnos antes de compartir nuevas historias con ellos, pero eso no quiere decir que no veamos bonitos cuentos en clase.
Llevo varios días buscando algún cuento motivador para contarles en estos primeros dias y este me ha enamorado. La historia es genial y las ilustraciones no pueden ser más bonitas...tienen colores muy llamativos y se pueden trabajar muchos contenidos a través de sus dibujos (la vida en el mar, las características de los peces, las figuras planas, los colores, la amistad, los celos, la envidia, el sentido del tacto...). Estoy convencida de que les va a encantar.
August 20, 2010
This is a great read-aloud for little ones for the following reasons:
1. It's funny.
2. Not a lot of text per page. Most of the time it's a single sentence.
3. Simplistic (but great) illustrations.
4. Wonderful bold and bright colors.
5. 3 and 4 make seeing easier for the kids in the back.
6. Friendly characters who do things children love.
7. It's funny.
8. A great twisted end. Most adults will have guessed it and most little kids won't make the connection but I still found it wonderfully subversive.
1. It's funny.
2. Not a lot of text per page. Most of the time it's a single sentence.
3. Simplistic (but great) illustrations.
4. Wonderful bold and bright colors.
5. 3 and 4 make seeing easier for the kids in the back.
6. Friendly characters who do things children love.
7. It's funny.
8. A great twisted end. Most adults will have guessed it and most little kids won't make the connection but I still found it wonderfully subversive.
September 1, 2015
From the mouth of babes, "Dumb fish! You're supposed to eat those!"
July 4, 2013
Adorable and twisted. And depicts what a bunch of fish doing "jazz hands" would look like.
November 11, 2019
Sue Hendra has a real talent for illustration and vibrant facial expressions. Barry saves the day with his fish fingers and now *all* the fish want some!
November 26, 2016
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, everyone! Our book today is Barry, The Fish With Fingers by Sue Hendra, a fun and silly story about a very unique fish.
Life can be sort of humdrum in the ocean. Sure, all the fish look different, but their fishy lives are a bit dull. That is, until Barry arrives. Barry is a fish – with FINGERS! Barry can use his unique appendages to do all sorts of interesting things, even save lives! How can the other fish acquire fingers of their own?
This was a very fun little book. Very lighthearted and tongue in cheek, and a lot of fun to read (the ending can be a little jarring for adults if you think about it too closely, but kids will just think it’s funny). The illustrations are bold and brightly colored, and JJ adored them, as well as the silly story and descriptive text. The length is great, and all in all this one was an entertaining read. Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
June 8, 2012
Barry is a fish with fingers. He arrives at a new place in the sea and instantly becomes the favourite fish of the area. Unfortunately another fish, who used to be the star attraction, is pushed to the side.
The new fish welcomes the attention he is getting, and doesn't think about how it may have affected others around him. It is only when the other fish (who used to be the most popular) is in danger, that things are put into perspective. Barry realises that he has made the other fish sad by showing off his special talent. In light of the situation, Barry and the puffer fish join together to provide entertainment for all the other fish in the area.
It highlights the fact that people may be very different to one another in appearance, yet deep down they all have emotions. Making use of your talent is a good thing, but not if you are putting others down by showing off. The solution of working together shows the benefits of team work and how two separate talents can be combined to form something even greater.
The new fish welcomes the attention he is getting, and doesn't think about how it may have affected others around him. It is only when the other fish (who used to be the most popular) is in danger, that things are put into perspective. Barry realises that he has made the other fish sad by showing off his special talent. In light of the situation, Barry and the puffer fish join together to provide entertainment for all the other fish in the area.
It highlights the fact that people may be very different to one another in appearance, yet deep down they all have emotions. Making use of your talent is a good thing, but not if you are putting others down by showing off. The solution of working together shows the benefits of team work and how two separate talents can be combined to form something even greater.
July 21, 2017
Was all set to add to my ocean life fact/fiction unit until I got to the end. I did suspect from the illustrations that I might know where Barry got his fingers ... unfortunately, it's a very British term that won't translate to my PreK. Also, it's like us wearing ground-up people on our hands. Ew.
September 19, 2012
What, do you find yourself asking, would a fish with fingers do?
Oh, so many things ... knit sweaters, play the piano, save lives.
Oh, so many things ... knit sweaters, play the piano, save lives.
September 25, 2018
Barry the Fish with Fingers is a Sue Hendra book that I was introduced to due to the children that I was working with absolutely loving the book. Like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this book includes text but is also strongly supported by the illustrations to bring Barry to life. The book is about a fish called Barry, who has ‘fish fingers’ as fingers. It is about how Barry is different from all the other fish and is initially singled out as being weird. This is until his fish friends realise that his uniqueness also serves as his talent, and they end up celebrating him for being different. I think this is a really nice story for children to read, especially if a class are struggling to accept maybe a new child in the school that might stand out as being ‘different’. It teaches children that our differences can be what makes us great people, I think this book would support PSHE lessons.
November 9, 2017
I just can't decide about this one. The story is cute, the pictures are cute, but. Barry's fingers are fish sticks. And at the end, all the fish end up with fish stick fingers. It's so weird. I wanted to see what other readers thought about this one and it seems like a few felt like I did, but many more seemed to enjoy it, so I will include it in the Fish-themed storytime kit (but only because we already have it--I wouldn't purchase it) and let those that use it decide if they want to use this book or not...
July 17, 2019
Barry the Fish with Fingers is the perfect storytime book. Not only is it funny, making it entertaining for little ones and adults alike, it's also the perfect excuse to give your little one a tickle or two (which seemed to get my daughter even more interested in the story!). Definitely planning on reading more books about Barry when I can get my fingers on them: such a simple idea, but highly effective.
March 10, 2022
This is a wacky, high-energy story about a fish with an unusual talent. It's always nice to see fish--animals not always thought of much at all--depicted as heroes with personalities.
Veg*n parents note: I'm also glad this book didn't resort to any jokes about eating "fish fingers," although Barry's odd appendages, it could be argued, are meant to resemble them. Hopefully kids who read this book will choose not to eat Barry, and instead choose a plant-based snack!
Veg*n parents note: I'm also glad this book didn't resort to any jokes about eating "fish fingers," although Barry's odd appendages, it could be argued, are meant to resemble them. Hopefully kids who read this book will choose not to eat Barry, and instead choose a plant-based snack!
November 16, 2018
I love this book. My son chose to borrow this book from the library and I wasn’t expecting it to be as great as it was. It was useful in teaching him what hands/fingers are used for, and helped me reinforce the idea of no hitting in a positive way. I’m sure it wasn’t written for this reason but was a fabulous tool to us none the less 😊
May 23, 2017
A good book to show children the importance of using your fingers. Colorful pictures with cute expressions on the sea creatures faces.
The only "weird" thing is that the fingers of the fish are "fish" sticks-um cannibalism?? Glad the children didn't pick up on this. :)
The only "weird" thing is that the fingers of the fish are "fish" sticks-um cannibalism?? Glad the children didn't pick up on this. :)
December 25, 2018
My son does enjoy reading this colourful book and how everything ends well. It's no use staying a grumpy fish. Some readers say that Barry stole the limelight but actually Barry did ask Puffy to join them in their fun games but Puffy was sulking instead...
February 5, 2020
Noah seemed to enjoy the sound effects I added into the text, but he wasn’t over-awed by the story or images and neither was I. The story fell flat and missed out on an opportunity to address how one can hurt the feelings of another.
November 3, 2020
I really liked reading this book with my children. I like the bright colourful illustrations and how being different can be a good thing. We all have our own talents and I like how Barry was able to use his differences to help. A fun and lighthearted book that you can read again and again.
February 28, 2023
This was such a cute story, Barry the fish from the original story is brought to life with an interactive puppet to enhance the story as he hides and you have to count and tickle.
A great idea to teach counting and observation and my little nephew loved it when I tried to tickle him with Barry.
A great idea to teach counting and observation and my little nephew loved it when I tried to tickle him with Barry.
April 4, 2024
Read this for storytime and the kids seemed to enjoy it. The illustrations are bold, colorful, and cute. The story is sweet and even a couple of the parents enjoyed the ending of the story. They thought it was cute. Would read again.
September 10, 2017
It's nice how the fish uses its oddity to save the day and eventually make friends but I'm not too sure of the concept of a fish with fingers... the children seemed to enjoy it though!
December 7, 2017
This is creepy and weird and I'm kind of into it.
January 6, 2020
Different can still make a difference
February 13, 2020
engaging and interesting read for younger children ... they loved it!
March 12, 2020
Not fishy at all! Another super and superb book by the writer and illustrator of Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell.
April 6, 2020
My nephew loves this book I have to try and read it when I Skype him that is quite funny when I can't see the words half the time 😂
May 11, 2020
loved this again - year 1
May 27, 2020
Utterly strange concept but the illustration is beautiful. I don’t know whether kids will want to eat fish fingers now though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews