Arlene Sardine

by Chris Raschka

Follows the short life of Arlene, from brisling to canned sardine

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Animals, Fiction, Kids, Food

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Can’t Sleep; and The Magic Flute. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there's a reason you don't want your kids to eat sardines, fer gawd's sake - read 'em this book!

[La Coccinelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book falls squarely into the "What were they thinking?" category. All it does is perpetuate the idea that animals are only here to be killed for humans to eat, and even worse, that food is what they aspire to be. The story was one of the most macabre, disturbing, and gruesome ones I've read, and not because of the subject matter. (Even as a vegan, I found the facts interesting. The process of making sardines is explained with the proper terminology, which might appeal to kids who want to know all about how things work.) No, what disturbed me was the way Arlene was introduced, anthropomorphized, and then brutally killed. The book talks about her swimming around in the net until her stomach is empty, then getting pulled out of the sea with all her friends and sent to a factory... where the real horror begins. All of it is painted in a positive light, from the smoking to the canning to the cooking (this book actually tries to make being sealed and cooked in a can look like a good thing). Even worse, the author continually interjects with stupid comments about the dead fish's thoughts and feelings:

I'll bet Arlene felt well rested on the conveyor belt.

and

I wonder if Arlene was a little nervous for the final inspection.

No, Arlene doesn't feel anything. She doesn't feel well rested or nervous. She can't, because she's dead. Any emotions she might've had were taken away so someone could have a snack. I find it really appalling that this book is trying to gloss over the killing aspect, implying that Arlene is still alive to think and feel. Maybe the author/publisher thought they could get away with this because it was just a fish, but I can't imagine that a story about a cow who wanted to become a steak--which then goes into all the details of the slaughter, and then makes the steak sentient and happy to be a dead slab of meat--would go over very well.

One star for the factual information about how sardines are made. But the rest is just so, so wrong.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm all for being with honest with children about our food supply and where meat comes from; however, this book is not honest. Just as it brings home the stark reality of what happens to fish caught in nets, it obfuscates about the reality of death: Arlene is resting on the conveyor belt at the canning plant; the narrator speculates that she is possibly nervous as she is assessed one last time before being sealed into her tin. I can understand the motivation to write a book that doesn't pull punches about meat production. I'm not sure why I'd want to read it to small children, but I respect the impulse. This book seems to do that but then it lies to children about the nature of death. This makes me quite suspicious of the worldview underpinning it.

I loved the art in this book, and I did not pre-read it before I read it to my four and six year old. It didn't occur to me that I should have to. They were astonished, and my six year old did not approve of such a harsh twist in the plot, but they got over it quickly; however, it gave me the creeps.

[Josh Caporale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero Stars

This is the worst children's book I have ever read and I feel that it is inappropriate to even classify this as a children's book. Why? Because it plays off as more of a thoughtless joke than it does an appealing work for kids that kids will even get. The age group that is beginning to mock children's literature may find this to be cool, but I bet that most of them would not even waste their time. When you are attempting to appeal to an audience, you need to appeal to an audience. Raschka blew it on this one!

To begin with, the entire book is misleading. Arlene is a fish that wants to become a sardine. A sardine is a type of fish, so Arlene is already a sardine. From how I am interpreting it, Arlene WANTS to be placed in a can, sold, and eaten. This idea is completely personified and heartless. The fact that she dies in the middle and that it is not even a great deal can easily traumatize the target audience to the point that A.) They will have trouble sleeping and B.) They will never want to eat sardines. In addition to a misleading book comes crappy illustration. The author points out Arlene, but as the story progresses, she is just another fish. Not to mention that the illustration is blurry and depressing.

This book was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic! I feel that the purchase of this book would be a disservice to your children, for it would traumatize them and this would be a story that would easily be hidden away like the scary looking house ornament. I feel that the only person that would get enjoyment out of this book is a person who is looking for a gag and takes children's literature as a joke. Vegetarians, vegans, and sea creature sympathizers would get no enjoyment out of this, even if they like gags. I cannot think of any good reason why this book deserves any portion of star from me and it is immoral to glorify the death of a precious creature, because they want to be eaten. Do not let the one star mislead you, because it is the lowest rating recognized by Goodreads. Zero stars it is!

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I finally know how sardines are made! Did you know that before sardines are pulled out of water, they swim around in the net for three days so their stomach would be empty? It's called thronging. You are welcome :)

Anyways, I agree that the subject is quite unusual (essentially, Arlene is happy to be canned), but I appreciate the irony of it. Also, I liked the bright colors in this book. What I did not like that much was occasionally repetitive language, e.g. "Then she was smoked, delicately. She was delicately smoked. Delicately smoked was she" (18).

[Jodysegal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m late to the Arlene conversation, but I have to join the chorus of huh?'s this book inspired. Raschka’s typically lovely art is great, but the story is bizarre to the point of meaningless. Are we to celebrate her fate with pseudo-poetic, Lear-esque nonsense, such as: “Then she was smoked, delicately. She was delicately smoked. Delicately smoked was she.” Lear was funny and creative. This isn’t.

[Seagull · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps the strangest book I've ever read in my life... It's about a sardine who WANTS to be caught and eaten by people. This story tracks the life of Arlene and her journey to a sardine can. I was immensely disturbed when I was a child... I have to say though, it left quite the impression. Once you read it, the story sticks with you. If you like thinking about sardines who find it an honor to sacrifice themselves so you can eat, this story is for you. My question is: who in the world would write something like this? Apparently Chris Raschka. If this was about whales I might have thought it was Japanese propaganda. As an Asian who loves fish, obviously fish deaths don't bother me that much. However, the thought of a fish WANTING to be eaten was just... disturbing for 9 year old me. I have in fact read this book several times because I can't believe how funny and absolutely bizarre it is.

[Zach Badertscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The depressing, repetitive story of a young terrorist being groomed to die for the greater good. Manipulated by the promise of a better, continued life after. Sorry Arlene.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it is a good book explaining how sardines come to be. On the other hand, it is also really blunt (Arlene died). But I like that.

[Alexa Tamayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arlene Sardine is an altogether shocking yet amusing, clever yet realistic narrative of the true life of a sardine. It begins with an introduction of a fish named Arlene whose dream is to become a sardine. She does all she can to reach this dream...including death. Just when you fall in love with the charm of Arlene through Raschka's use of clever language, Arlene dies halfway through the story. "I knew a little fish who wanted to be a sardine. Her name was Arlene. Arlene wanted to be a sardine." It is told from the perspective of a narrator whose purpose is to relay what it takes to be a sardine and the colorful cheerful illustrations match the feelings of achieving a dream. It is an unusual dream to become a sardine, making this an original story full of informational text and the process involved using words like "fjord" and "brisling" and "hermetically." Some may argue that this is not a story for children, because there is a risk of making them feel uncomfortable when the fish dies...others would argue it is appropriate for children for the very same reason of looking at death in this context as a tool for such a serious topic. Whatever you may feel about presenting this story to children, this postmodern picture book is sure to grab your attention and make you ponder how others' dreams are not always what we would expect.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I scrolled through the thoughts of other for a little insight into how this book could be used and why some like it.

It could be used in a lesson on mathematics, as pointed out by someone. With each student getting her own sardine tin...

It could be used to describe the process of canning fish, I suppose.

But this book is just odd to me. While the colors of the artwork are pretty and the art itself is lively, drawing the eye around the page, the story leaves a lot to be desired.

It seems the author couldn't quite decide whether to write a story about the harsh realities of our food sources, or a cute story about an anthropomorphized fish with big dreams.

A book with a successful suicide as the main plot is just...problematic to me.

[Jennifer Borduin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the process of learning about how sardine's are packed weren't exactly pleasant, I did find this book to be great for mathematics in the field of measurement and capacity. After reading the book, children can get their own different sized "Sardine cans" and place fake sardines (or sardine replicas) into the box to fill it's CAPACITY. Children can then count how many sardines it took to fill their capacity, write it on their box and close it. When everyone is finished, they can trade boxes and check that their capacity count is correct.

[Ghislaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only put this book on my children's book bookshelf based on the most general of definitions. This cheery, little picture book follows a little fish named Arlene's transition into a sardine. I DO NOT recommend reading this book to children, especially the young and impressionable. This opinion would carry over to any book in which the main character dies less than halfway through and is then processed into food.

[Carol Krueger · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book about a fish who wants to die and become a sardine. The fish is starved for two days. The fish dies. The book references how comfortable the fish would be on the conveyor belt (after it is dead). Then the fish is packed in a tin box like a sardine. What a strange tale for a children's book!

[Kate Hastings · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad it wasn't funny. Kids are not the audience. I will go out on a limb and say this book was published just to see if the publishers would be crazy enough to print it.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book is the final nail in the coffin of me trying to understand Chris Raschka's appeal.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did I not know about this book until now?? Darkest humor…darker than Klassen. Darker than the pits of hell. I can’t stop laughing.

[Elizabeth Rittenhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical pedagogy is a teaching approach that helps students to question and challenge what they are being taught. Critical pedagogy is a form of education in which students are encouraged to form meaning and their own understanding of what they learn. Critical pedagogy challenges students to critically think. It is important to have children think critically for themselves and form their own ideas. Children’s literature can help students find a deeper meaning and form opinions and ideas through stories. Literature circles are a great way for students to think deeper than what the story brings. Student can work in literature circles reading children’s literature and challenging each other with questions that go beyond the story. This allows students to listen to each other’s thoughts and think critically about the story and form opinions listening to their peers.

Lit Circles
empowers students to change community

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was certainly a book I read. Part of me found the humor in it, the dark humor that comes from this controversial book about a suicidal fish (and maybe not even suicidal? She’s okay with dying, but that’s not necessarily her end goal…). The other part of me, the ~vegan~ part of me is crying out and telling me that this is fishery propaganda. After all, if the fish all want to become human-packaged and -consumed food, then who are we to deny them?

After I’d finished, I’d just sat down in a stupor unable to put words to what I’d just read. I’m not sure if I have any words right now. It’s definitely worth a read to better understand the controversy, and depending on who you ask, this may or may not be the best book to read to your young one.

Review cross-listed here!

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note* some difficult words like fjord, brisling, hermetically. Best for an older child (2nd or 3rd grd)

This could really be a non fiction book, as it details the (tragic) life of a sardine. I would NOT recommend this for any kind of story-time or you will have the children and/or parents in tears. The fish dies and is processed as food. I found it a bit startling and unpleasant. There is nothing wrong with reading this to a child who wonders where his/her fish comes from, or if the specific child can handle it, but I would not recommend it willy nilly.

I did love the illustrations. Raschka has delightfully blocky, painterly pictures with a limited color palette and a mix of simple and busy pages.

[Kim B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, frankly because I don't know what to think of it one way or another.

I like the art a lot, but not the prose (it's very repetitive in a way that I don't think is fully successful), and I find the story itself to be kind of disturbingly cheerful considering the content that's in it. If it's supposed to be teaching kids about eating animals as either a positive or negative thing, it doesn't really succeed at either due to the tone, which I found frankly confusing. Reading trade reviews of the book from back in the day gives me an idea that it might be getting at more than you might think, but it doesn't really work for me in the ways it worked for those reviewers.

But, again, Raschka's art is pretty hard for me to resist, so I'm not gonna call this book a failure.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Spoiler Alert!* Arlene is a little fish who, on page 12 DIES and becomes a sardine packed in a little tin! This is not a HAPPY book! I think there is a good reason why it was on the culled-books shelf at the library. It's not a terrible book; it's more like a fictional piece of non-fiction, a how-to guide for making sardines. Fine, but it's strange that Arlene would start out her life WANTING to be a sardine! And it's all packaged as a children's book! It was hilarious. I read it aloud to 11-year-old Timo and 8-year-old Emma and we were laughing and groaning throughout. I typically like Chris Raschka's work, but this was bizarre!

What do YOU think of it?

[Kindal Kottman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arlene Sardine is a very weird spin on a children's book. The story is centered around the theme of death which to me is very odd for a children"s book. This book is recommended for children k-3 and I feel the idea of talking to children about death may be a dark topic for school. However Arlene the Sardine is not afraid or saddened by death , she actually wants to be a Sardine and hope that she will be eaten. The illustrations are actually quite funny , Arlene's eyes are often "X's" to signify that she is indeed a dead fish. I think this book would actually be better for adults to get a good laugh out of making death a funny thing that some people(fish) find amusement in death.

[Natalie Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arlene the sardine is an amusing book. The fish Arlene wants to be a sardine, but in order to be that she must die. Some may argue that this is not an appropriate young readers book, however, others may argue that this is a great book to present about death! Because in this story it doesn't end with death, no, there is so much more to the story still! In the end, Arlene achieves her dream of being a a sardine with her friends. The readers focus is not at all about death, but the fact that everyone has different dreams and passions about life!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So when I first read Arlene Sardine for my Children's Lit class, I was a little disturbed by it. It wasn't until I read it again and had to write a review on it for the same class that I came to appreciate the humor and irony in it. While these feelings may be lost on children who get attached to Arlene in the first half of the book, I think adults will find it pretty clever!

But good luck finding it anywhere if you want to buy it. Barnes and Noble and Amazon both only carry used copies.

[Jason Beyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have enjoyed many of Raschka's books and I was really liking this one in the beginning. Then I realized what this book is really about. Basically, a fish named Arlene who wants to be a sardine, whose dream is to be caught, frozen, packaged, and canned. It kind of reminds me of the way farm animals are personified and how we are led to believe that the food we eat comes from happy cows, pigs, and chickens who want nothing more than to become our dinner. Thanks, but I'll pass.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is.just a little different. But I loved it. I loved the illustrations and the story. It was interesting how this lil fish knew she was going to be killed but she looked forward to it because all she wanted tondo was become a sardine. It was also different that even after she died, she was talked about. Had characteristics and still had a name. Again, this book gives us another perspective in death. It doesn't always have to be scary. And life doesn't always end after death.

[Jana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I just don't understand who the intended audience for this book is or what the message is supposed to be. It's just sort of a creepy narrative about the unfortunate plight of a fish that winds up in a sardine can. If it's trying to share some environmental moral, I don't know of ANY of my students that are willing consumers of sardines. So, it would just sort of leave everyone feeling bad, with no real way for kids to feel hopeful about fixing a problem in the world.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, if I knew anything about sardines I guess I would have known what to expect from this book, but this story is a downer! Who knew that Arlene would start out alive and happy with all her fishy friends and then be killed to be put into a sardine can!. I think my child would have been permanently traumatized except they were like, "what?", and I immediately pulled out a different book.

[Wendy Resnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read this to children, so I don't know if a sensitive child might find it disturbing. But the concept seems very childlike to me -- where do sardines come from? How do they get into a can? Of course, the little fish has to die to become a sardine and that fact is handled in a very straightforward unsentimental manner. And the art is just so stunning.