The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Geist

Children's Literature

Three little fish echo the tale of the three well-know pigs when they leave their mama fish to make their own lives. Jim takes some seaweed from a generous sea horse to build his house. In this amusing parody, it is a big bad shark who knocks on the door with "Little fish, little fish, let me come in." "Not by the skin of my finny fin fin" is the reply. Jim manages to escape while the shark munches and crunches his house. He joins his brother Tim, who is building a sandy house. The shark arrives and the familiar routine is repeated. Tim and Jim swim away to where their sister Kim is settling into an old wooden ship. In the story's happy ending, when the shark demands entrance, he can't smash their new house. In Gorton's decorative visual interpretation, four shades of blue are strung across double pages from beginning to end to create the undulating swells of the ocean in which linear plants sway and a huge gray shark looms. Stencil-like fish, with some touches of detail and cartoon-like large eyes, swim past the large, capital-lettered text. Shiny silver additions make for an attractive cover.

Jayne DamronCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1
The tale of "The Three Little Pigs" gets an underwater makeover in this snappy yarn. Three little fish swim out into the deep blue sea to build their homes. Jim builds a "weedy little house," Tim builds a "sandy little house," and Kim takes up residence in a sunken ship. It isn't long before the big bad shark shows up at each successive residence, calling "Little fish, little fish, let me come in!" Children will quickly join in the answering refrain, "Not by the skin of my finny fin fin!" Gorton's whimsical, computer-drawn scenery and electric color palette set just the right tone for Geist's tongue-in-cheek retelling. The bold font is humorously integrated with the art, appearing inside the shark's mouth for emphasis, or swirling along the current with an escaping fish. This spunky tale is a welcome addition to storytime and picture-book collections.

Kirkus Reviews

This aquatic update on the classic pig story is sure to enthrall readers young and old. When Jim, Tim and Kim set out to make their own homes in the sea, each builds with a different material. Jim's seaweed house quickly succumbs to the jaws of the Big Bad Shark, as does the sand house of his brother, Tim. Both narrowly escape to the safety of their sister Kim's house-a sunken ship. A surprise ending will delight those cheering on the piscine trio. Geist's text is close enough to the original to be familiar, yet original enough to be enjoyable, especially when it comes to the beloved refrains: "Not by the skin of my finny fin fin." Gorton's digital illustrations are bright blocks of color and shape, and the facial expressions lend much to the tale. Great for educators teaching comparisons, and for ocean lovers. (Picture book. 3-8)

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Product Details

• ISBN: 0439719623
  
• ISBN-13: 9780439719629
• Format: Hardcover, 32pp
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Pub. Date: May 2007
• Sales Rank: 23,805
• Age Range: 4 to 8