Fish is Fish (edition 1974)

This is my favorite book of Leo Lionni. It tells the story about a minnow and a tadpole who are very good friends and always swim around together in the pond. One day the tadpole recognizes that he had grown two little legs. The two are really surprised about that and can't understand it. But in the end the tadpole decides: “Frogs are frogs and fish is fish”. The feet get bigger and bigger until one day the tadpole is a real frog and climbs on the bank. When he comes back he tells the fish all about what he had seen – birds, cows and people. The fish gets really curious so he decides to jump out of the pond and have a look at all those things too. He nearly chokes, but the frog comes by and helps him to get back into the water. At the end the fish says to the frog: “You were right, fish is fish.” This book can demonstrate children how important everybody is and that everybody has different needs. It can also help children to understand that they should accept others how they are and that they should not always compare each other. Another topic of this book is friendship – the frog and the fish are very good friends although they became different from each other during the story. ( )

I'm no particular fan of the essentialism (fish is fish and land creatures is land creatures and never the twain), but the art is cute and I like the sentiment that the world of the pond isn't "juuuuust right" for the fish because he's a fish and everyone's okay if they just know their place in the great chain of being, but because it's just as magnificent and full of adventures as--and a life spent underwater just as full as a life spent--above. ( )

Genre Critique (Fantasy): Fish is Fish is a good example of fantasy in children's literature. In fantasy animals often have the ability to talk. In this case, a fish and a tadpole are good friends often talking with one another.

Setting Critique: The setting of the story is very important in this book. We begin our story in a river, but as the story progresses the tadpole turns into a frog and leaves the water. A majority of the story is about the fish wanting to go to where his friend is. He wants to be in the same setting as his friend. ( )

Genre: Fantasy
Genre Critique: This book is a good example of fantasy children's literature through the use of personified animals. Leo Lionni does a great job at creating a story that is based in a believable setting, even if the plot is not one hundred percent believable.
Plot Critique: The plot was very well written with intrigue and conflict writing mastered through person against self conflict (in this case a fish against itself). The plot was well rounded starting with a conflict in the fish's life that built to a climax and was resolved at the end of the story.
Review/Critique: I thought this story was a very sweet story, and one that can be applied to lots of people's lives as well. Many kids struggle with the fact of where they are placed in life, and their talents and skills versus others. This is a great book that could be utilized in many ways in the classroom.

Thisbook highlights the idea of being proud of who and what you are because you will never be anything but youeself.
The story is about a tadpole and minnow who are friends and, befoe the tadpole began growing legs and turning into a frog, were inseparable. Once the frog was able to leave the pond and explore the world he returned and told his friend, who was now a full grown fish, of all the wonderful things to be seen on land. Filled with curiosity, the fish decided he too wanted to see all the sights and flung himself out of the water and onto land, only to realize that on land he could not breath. The frog pushed the fish back into the pond where he realizes that his world is the best world for him. ( )