I Am Not a Fish!

by Peter Raymundo

For fans of Ryan T. Higgins and Jory John comes a humorous and "splashy" story from a former Disney animator, about a jellyfish with an identity crisis who learns how to be himself with a little help from friends.

Edgar is a jellyfish, but he doesn't look, act, or feel very much like a "fish." With a little help though from some friendly starfish, Edgar realizes that labels aren't important, and he should celebrate what makes him unique!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2019

Reviews

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and humorous, the science information and feel good message about self-acceptance and belonging are gently woven into the story. They are the point of the story but done subtly enough so that the reader is not being hit over the head with them. Sadly, the text is too old for my class of one year olds as I would love to share this book with them.

The artwork is in subtle colors, with enough detail to give context. Edgar and the other animals have delightful facial expressions. Young children will the book for the pictures alone.

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. The jellyfish is a cute character and he has quite sense of humor. He explores his own place in the ocean and bemoans the fact that no one really knows him. He drops facts about his species as he tells his story.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some sea life facts are given in a cute story where identity insecurity is helped by an adorable support group full of starfish that are not yet going by sea stars.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/4/2020 ~ A fun story about appreciating yourself & standing up against labels of others. A nice twist in the wordplay around how animals are named - star fish & jelly fish, sea horse.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My jellyfish loving kid liked this one, hammerhead appearance too.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, good practice sounding new words and invented words.
Good ending

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My in-person class ABSOLUTELY loved this story and were cracking up the whole time. My at-home kids gave it a thumbs-up (at the least the ones that were paying attention). This was a really cute story about a jellyfish having an identity crisis because he's not a fish and he's frustrated about his name. He ends up coming around and accepting himself! Loved it. There's also some info about jellyfish sprinkled throughout! It's also funny. Sorry for this terribly written review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book about self- acceptance, love, and the value of friends who will listen. Would make a great read aloud.

[Macie · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT was very very cute. There are no fish.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in small part humorous nonfiction (you learn lots about jellyfish), but mostly an exploration of identity, with the realization that no matter what others call you, you are still YOU!

2024 update: still holds up well. Will pair with EXCEPT ANTARCTICA.

[Laurie Hnatiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colourful delightful story with the right balance of facts intertwined in the story of Edgar the jellyfish who is having difficulty pinning down who he really is and having a bit of an identity crisis due to his name. As the story unfolds, Edgar shares his reasons for being confused with a group of starfish who also point out their name is a misnomer. Edgar explains how he clearly is not a fish and points on quite dramatically why - no fins, no scales etc. He compares himself with other creatures in the sea who are aptly names such as the angel fish and hammerhead sharks. All the while we learn more and more about Edgar the "jellyfish" until at the end he discovers no matter what he is who he is and that's ok. Clever ending that will spark conversations and the illustrations are entertaining yet informative giving the reader just enough factual information.
A great addition to school and classroom libraries that could be used to talk about self-identity and esteem, and animal characteristics.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A jellyfish attends a support group to help address his emotional issues resulting from having the word "fish" in his name.

"And everyone always says, 'Edgar, you're overthinking things.' But jellyfish don't even have brains! So I'm not 'thinking' anything at all."

While most young readers will have a laugh about how a jellyfish isn't really "a fish," the topic of labeling and self-identification will probably go over their heads.

Personally, I'm of two minds about labels. They can be both good and bad. Some degree of categorization is necessary to establish order, but this process is not foolproof and can create problems of its own. Happily, Edgar the jellyfish comes to the conclusion that labels given to him by others don't affect how he personally identifies.

[Sunday]

I picked this up after reading Raymundo's The Mysterious Sea Bunny which, via a conversation between an adult and a very curious group of students, shares a lot of fun facts about this slug that lives in the ocean. I Am Not a Fish! is very different. Not very many facts. Mostly focused on the story of a jellyfish who struggles with his identity. (Turns out there are several fellow creatures who struggle with the same issue - starfish, sea horses, etc.) Not the fact filled book I expected. Very different objective - more focused on theme of "you are okay just being who you are and not what other people expect."

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this hoping to use it in my preschool story time, unfortunately, it's too detailed and long for that. However, it is a great book with fun illustrations that shows the arbitrariness of animal names and has a nice message of being yourself without bashing the reader over the head with it. This might work for elementary age kids as a read aloud, and it would definitely work as a one-on-one read.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how science information was woven in to this story about a jellyfish who finds a supportive group of starfish who understand his dilemma - he's not really a fish. He explains everything he's done to fit in and how he came to peace with being who he is. Clever ending as a seahorse joins their group. Elementary readers will enjoy the humor and playful tone.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think kids will really like this even though much of the humor is geared to the adults who will be reading this aloud. I do appreciate the author's humor and will try to read it to 5th graders to see if they think it is good enough to nominate for next year's CCBA. I put it in the mock Caldecott, but really don't love the illustrations enough.

[Anne S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book! It is about a little jelly fish who is not a fish and just wants someone to let him know that it's ok. When he floats into a group of starfish who understand he finally finds his place!

I would recommend this anyone with a little child. I would love to be able to read this to little ones!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jellyfish gets some affirmation from some starfish about his misnomer. Story combines humor w lessons about self acceptance and the limitation of labels, also combines a talking jellyfish w true facts about these animals. Back matter about jellyfish and starfish, and even seahorses (mentioned on last page of story, would have been welcomed.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome blend of nonfiction and narrative! I love the facts and jokes all mixed together with a healthy dose of adorable illustrations. This is another stellar choice for older kids visiting the library.

[Emily Towne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book with a great message. You are still you no matter what people call you. I would love to bring this into my classroom library! I like the science behind why we call them what we do,.

[Hunter Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, easy to read and has a beautiful purpose! This book shows the importance of taking care of and learning about the ocean. Also gives lots of facts about the ocean and fish with great illustrations.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, I'm interested in these jellyfish facts presented in an interesting way. On the other hand, I'm getting tired of picture books where the central premise is the character complaining for the whole book.

[KinderWithBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about a jellyfish that is frustrated because he's not actually a fish. But he goes to a support group full of starfish and feels accepted. The kids were entertained and even learned a thing or two about jellyfish.

[Rebecca Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fits the theme for this summer's SRP theme "Ocean of Possibilities." I love the conversations Jellyfish has with the other fish as he complains about his name. A great one for storytime if you have two voices, but still a fun one.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of our ocean science study. A good gentle introduction to some jellyfish facts (though my oldest wanted to know more about how jellyfish function without brains), and a nice lesson in not letting labels get to you.

[J.D. Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and factual, this is a great read-aloud.

I will say, only one out of three lower elementary classes got the tide joke and expressed their appreciation for the pun.

Recommended for pairing with lessons on invertebrates, or for classes whose mascot is jellyfish.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pair with a nonfiction book on jellyfish

[Kelly]

Informative and funny. Also open to a sequel about seahorses.

[Pamela Groseclose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

[Caro Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable, and the artwork was beautiful. Great message about accepting and loving yourself, and being comfortable in knowing who you are.