My Pet Goldfish

In My Pet Goldfish, prolific children’s author Catherine Rayner recounts her first experience owning a goldfish. Rayner was only four years old when she got her goldfish named Richard. Although Richard was no bigger than her hand, Rayner quickly realized that caring for a goldfish is not as simple as it may seem. Rayner had to learn about the proper tank size and food type for goldfish to provide her pet with a suitable environment. Regardless of these challenges, Rayner grew attached to Richard. With the help of her friend, Sandy, Rayner learned how to properly take care of a pet fish. 

My Pet Goldfish is a straightforward story that provides new owners with instructions on how to care for a goldfish. Along with Sandy’s advice, the book features small captions with additional information in the corners of each page. For example, one caption reads: “Goldfish need plenty of space to grow properly, so you need a BIG tank to keep them in.” Along with these tips, each page features a piece of trivia about goldfish, such as, “scientists believe goldfish can remember things for up to five months.” 

Along with Rayner’s story, the book includes a list of tips for caring for a goldfish. These tips include how to change the water in a tank and the proper tank size for goldfish. Rayner also provides a list of additional resources for curious readers, including a website all about goldfish and a recommendation to read How to Look After Your Goldfish, an instructional novel by David Alderton about tending to pet goldfish. Although this is an informative book, Rayner’s passionate narration invites the reader to look at this straightforward story with the same curiosity and wonder she felt as a child. For example, Reyner writes: “[Richard] would swim over when he saw me, wiggling his tail. If I gently touched the glass, he would follow my finger.”  

By telling the story through a child’s point of view, Rayner turns the common experience of owning a pet goldfish into an exciting adventure. Rayner’s beautiful watercolor illustrations also create a sense of wonder. Rayner’s fish tank is painted in soft blues and greens. Fish of many species swim about with their own unique color scheme. The book is a relatively easy read, with one to five short sentences per page. My Pet Goldfish is a short, informative book written with a clear passion for its subject and is perfect for readers considering getting their first goldfish. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• None

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• None

Spiritual Content  

• None