Pout-Pout Fish Adventure – Sneak Peek Books

The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark

Mrs. Clam loses her pearl and Mr. Fish promises he will find it. But when he goes looking for the pearl, he can’t find it in “the busy bottom land.” Then he hears a voice whisper, “It’s further out to sea!”

Mr. Fish is nervous about swimming deeper and his “heart flit-fluttered.” Even though he is scared of the dark, Mr. Fish keeps looking for the pearl. Mr. Fish has to go deeper and deeper into the sea. Miss Shimmer encourages Mr. Fish and “they swam down together. Holding fin to fin.” A lantern fish lights the way, and Mr. Fish finds the pearl.

The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark is a super cute story about friendship and fear of the dark. Young readers will relate to Mr. Fish, who wants to help his friend but is afraid of going into the dark part of the ocean. Throughout the story, Mr. Fish repeatedly says, “I’m fast as a sail ship, I’m strong as a shark, I’m smart as a dolphin, but I’m scared of the dark.” Readers will learn that there is no reason to be afraid of the dark, but that having a friend near will help you overcome your fear. In the end, Mr. Fish learns, “The ocean is wide, and the ocean is deep, but friends help friends—that’s a promise we keep.”

While Mr. Fish is looking for the pearl, he hears a voice whispering. In the end, Mr. Fish finds out that the voice belonged to Miss Shimmer. Even though Miss Shimmer’s words were encouraging, parents may want to talk to their child about the dangers of following a voice.

The rhyming couplets and repeating words make The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark a fun book to read aloud. Each page has 2 to 4 sentences printed in large text and set against a solid background which makes it easy to read. The illustrations perfectly capture the events of the story and show Mr. Fish’s worried expression. Each full-color illustration shows the diverse creatures that are abundant in the ocean. All the illustrations are beautifully colored in shades of blue with pops of color, and many of the illustrations are humorous.

The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark takes a relevant topic and combines it with wonderful sea-creatures that will capture readers’ attention. Young readers will fall in love with Mr. Fish and his friends. The Pout-Pout Fish series will capture readers’ hearts. This is definitely a book series that readers will want to read again and again, both because of the relatable topics and the pictures.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t-Sleep Blues

Mr. Fish can’t get to sleep, so he goes to ask his underwater friends for some advice. Even though his friends explain their bedtime, the routine doesn’t help Mr. Fish sleep. Miss Shimmer comes to the rescue. She helps Mr. Fish see that different routines work for different creatures. Mr. Fish takes what he learned and creates a routine that works best for him. In the end, the frustrated fish falls fast asleep.

The picture book, The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t Sleep Blues uses beautiful, colorful illustrations to bring Mr. Fish’s underwater world alive. The Pout-Pout Fish incorporates humor into the story. When each sea creature gives advice on how to sleep, Mr. Fish tries the method, but it doesn’t work for him. However, when he looks over, his friend is snoozing away. Mr. Fish learns that not all advice can be used because everyone’s needs are different.

Younger readers will enjoy the story and will want to look at the pictures over and over. The colorful illustrations even show one fish getting its teeth flossed as well as a sea creature counting fish-sheep. The rhyming text and short sentences (four sentences on each page) make The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t Sleep Blues a perfect bedtime story. Any child who has trouble falling asleep should read about Mr. Fish’s can’t sleep blues, which will help them think about creating a bedtime routine that works.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully-Bully Shark

Mr. Fish and his friends are playing at Tummy Tickle Park. They are having fun until a mean shark shows up and bullies the smaller creatures. The shark continuously shows bad behavior, which causes Mr. Fish to feel unhappy. But what can a small fish like Mr. Fish do?

Right from the start, the theme of The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully Shark is clear. The story contains a lot of repetition and includes a refrain: “Shark acted badly. / Being mean in wrong. / But I’m just one fish! / Am I really that strong?” Although some parents might find the message overdone, younger readers will learn the importance of standing up for others. In the end, Mr. Fish finds his voice and speaks up, telling the shark, “We are kind, we are fair. We are all potential friends.” Readers will come away with the message that one person’s voice can make a powerful change. Even though the message is clear, readers may find that in real life, a bully will not necessarily change.

Like the previous books in the series, The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully Shark uses detailed, colorful pictures throughout the story. The story does an excellent job putting Mr. Fish’s emotions into child-friendly terms. When he is bullied, his feelings are “tumble-jumbled.” The rhyming text highlights the central dilemma of the story and one illustration that appears at the end of the book shows the bully shark wearing glasses and reading a book titled How to be respectful.

As a picture book, The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully Shark makes an excellent read-aloud book because of the short, rhyming sentences. Each page contains 4 sentences of text. The story will encourage young readers to show empathy as well as care about others. Because of the serious theme, parents will want to take an opportunity to discuss bullying.

Sexual Content