The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark

by Ken Geist, Julia Gorton (Illustrator), Will Grace

A hilarious retelling of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, with foil on the cover! "Little fish, little fish, let me come in.""Not by the skin of my finny fin fin!""Then I'll munch, and I'll crunch, and I'll smash your house in!"Mama tells her three little fish that it's time to make their own homes. Jim builds his house of seaweed, but the big bad shark munches it up. Tim builds his house of sand, but the shark crunches it up. It's smart Kim who sets up house in an old sunken ship!Children will delight in this silly story with funny, eye-popping illustrations. And there's foil on the cover!

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Fairy Tales, Folklore, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to tell who likes this re-telling of the "Three Little..." story more -- the child, the story time performer, or the parents! It is so much fun to act out -- arms and hands clapping together as shark jaws, chanting "Little FISH, Little Fish, let me come in" with the response, "Not by the skin of my finny fin fin!"

If using this in a pre-school library story time, when the story is finished and lead everyone in the "Shamu Shimmy". (to the tune HOKEY POKEY)...
You put your right fin in (the children mirror you so put YOUR left "fin" in); you put your right fin out; you put your right fin in and you shake it all about; you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around; that's what it's all about! (hear tune and see actions here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLqEN... ).

Left fin...
dorsal (back) fin...
fluke (tail) fin...

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's retelling and re-imagining of the classic Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. I loved reading this with my grandson. We had recently been reading the Three Little Pigs and the Big, Bad Wolf and this fit perfectly into our story time.
Hard board book was perfect for reading for infant/toddler, cute re-imagination of this classic story that will be sure to become a favorite of many children and adults alike. Clever poetry, fun and brightly illustrated, loved this!
Sure to become a children's classic! With the Baby Shark craze right now, this is a perfect addition to children's book shelves and give parents a new, fun read as well!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the favorite of the books I read to Alena today. I like how it's just like the story of the three little pigs though adapted nicely to be about the three little fish. It was fun to use different voices while reading this book just as I would have for a three little pigs story.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be my all-time favorite read-aloud for this summer's reading theme! I took this book along to my outreach visits to the preschools this year and had such a good time with the "three little pigs and the big bad wolf" concept but with fish and a shark instead. The kids were REALLY into the over-exaggeration of "then along came the BIG...BAD...SHARK!" The houses made of seaweed, sand and eventually a ship let the kids have an opportunity to say whether or not the fish made a wise choice in building materials! An awesome read-aloud! Even read it in toddler storytime and it went over well!

[DelGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bold and colorful rendition of the classic Three Little Pigs tale set with fish as the main characters, instead of course, piggies. The illustrations bring a lot of whimsy to this well known adventure and will be especially enjoyed by fans of cute fish tales.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabella: This book is good because if you were a fish chased by a shark, you would read this book with your fins. You would be glad to have your fin...gers to read your fish book. (Yes Grandpa SHE made this pun all by herself!

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute re-telling of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. The artwork is busy but the story works. I read it with my class of one and two year olds and it held their attention.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute rendition with fish of the Three Little Pigs. Ending is a hoot!

[Kalynne]

Date: 07.15.24
Attendees 88
Theme: Fish
Introduction and announcements: Bread and Butter

Book one: The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist

Song/rhyme/game one: Over the Deep Blue (keep speeding up)

'Twas a sunny day when I went to play
Down by the sea
I climbed aboard a pirate ship
And the Captain said to me
"We're going this way, that way
Forwards, backwards
Up and down, up and down
Over the deep blue sea

Book two: A Mouthful of Minnows by John Hare

Song/rhyme/game two: The Jellyfish Songs by GoNoodle, Moose Tube (with ribbon bracelets)

Book three: Trout Trout Trout (A Fish Chant) by April Pulley Sayre

Song/ rhyme/ game three: A Slippery Fish

Activity: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/wp-co...
Used a fish template on cardstock instead of a paper plate

[Olive]

Olive's opinion: Loves it.

Carrie's opinion. Stupid, lazy retelling of Three Little Pigs and has several plot holes. There is nothing ever mentioned about the laziness/quick fix factor of building with straw and sticks vs. brick, which makes the story feel pretty pointless. It's just these 3 little fish built 3 different houses and one of them happened to be a boat so it was stronger. It feels so random. Then all the shark's teeth fall out, and the context suggests this is because he was trying to eat the boat, but there's no natural connection in the story. Would a shark's teeth fall out when trying to eat a boat? And if they did, would they really all fall out at the same time?

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this 4 stars except the ending was a bit problematic for me. Why, for instance, could the shark now chomp through the wooden boat? It seems that, realistically, this is something a shark could totally do. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think kids will think that, though and will enjoy it. I liked how all his teeth fell out doing it, but felt that it was a bit abrupt and didn't flow as well as the rest of the story. Funny to see a shark eating a "salad."

[Cindy Petzoldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical follow-up to any version of the Three Little Pigs, this Ken Geist story matched with huge, inventive illustrations by Julia Gorton is just plain F-U-N. Young children will joyfully crunch and munch along with the shark and shake their heads and index fingers at him as they reply, “Not by the skin of my finny fin fin.” Get a copy and read it with the young children in your life — it’s finny fin fun.

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have used this book the past two years for my Kindergarten library lesson about retelling. It's an easy book to begin retelling lessons with since the story is already pretty familiar. It's a terrific retelling because what kid doesn't love books featuring sharks? Plus, we all get to cheer when the little guys win.

[Olivia Gasca]

I really loved reading this book because the three little pigs was one of my favorite stories as a kid. It was interesting to hear this story written in a new and exciting way under the sea. This book was hilarious and included many jokes that kids would find funny. The illustrations are so much fun and will grab the attention of any kid.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A version of the well known tale. Still think it is a great lesson for small children; teaches mitigation skills that will transfer well throughout life. This version has bold illustrations that really 'pop' off the page. Small children will enjoy reading about how the three little fish are able to overcome a very intense situation!

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like the story of the three little pigs, you'll love this version! Three little fish set out into the world to seek their fortunes only to be faced with a terrible shark. The outcome is rather funny.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great innovation on the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. It can also be used in Primary classrooms as a book related to the short /i/ phonics. Attractive illustrations. It will be a great addition to my sea-themed classroom.

[Sydney M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark
This book resembles the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. But the fist fish made his house out of seaweed. The second made his house out of sand and the third made hers out of a wooden ship.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute retelling of the three little pigs (as you might imagine by the title.) And it worked super well in storytime. However, my older readers pointed out discrepancies in it (like sand not having a door or seaweed being tough to work with.)

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Not by the skin of my finny fin fin."

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rendition of the Three Little Pigs is very relatable to the board-book reading age group. It's colorful with fun fonts and easy to follow along with.

[Neeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny take on the familiar story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. Rather enjoyable.

[Rachel Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Storytime books! This is a retelling of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.

[Brooke Carr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The wording was awkward in places. I get using a variety of vocabulary to help children grow & understand new words - but this felt forced.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 1 out of 5]

As advertised.

[Lindsay Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hidden "violent" ending.
If the shark lost all his teeth, he wouldn't be enjoying a hearty bowl of seaweed. He would be dead. From starvation.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spin-off of the three little pigs. This time it is a shark and three little fish. Super cute!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three Little Pigs - Ocean style! So much fun and so many engagement opportunities for the kids. A great read aloud for my preschool story time!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Used for shark themed storytime!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this was good.