Jangles: A Big Fish Story

This book is filled with beautiful oil paintings that pulls readers in the setting.The whole book the author seems like the little boy is telling the story but it is really his dad in the story. Everyone's goal is to catch Jangles (the big fish). The little boy is sharing the story that his father told him. Jangles had broken so many fishing lines and his crooked jaw was covered with old rusty fish hooks. The story makes me feel sad for Jangles because he is just living in his own habitat trying to stay alive while everyone is coming there trying to catch him. In a part of the story Jangles is telling the little boys dad a story and Jangles seems like he is gaining trust in him. All along the dad just wants to catch Jangles so he can show more show and tell everyone about it. Jangles thought he could trust the little boys dad but sees that he is just like everyone else. Jangles argues he is much more than a fish and that he is a story teller and story in himself. To repay Jangles the little boys dad decides to take out all the fishhooks from his jaw.The ending is surprising for the reader and leaves you smiling. It makes you think about what you would do in this situation, would you want all the attention or do what's right? show less

Shannon, David. Jangles: A Big Fish Story. New York: The Big Sky Press, 2012

Characters: Jangles the Fish; Father; Son

Setting: The Big Lake

Theme: legends and myths; animals; man vs. nature

Genre: Children’s fiction; picture book

Golden Quote: “My father told me lots of stories, but my favorite was about a giant trout he saw when he was a kid. I still remember sitting with him in front of the big stone fireplace at the cabin. He pulled out a dirty green tackle box and shook it a couple of times so it rattled. Then he told me this story…”

Summary: A father relates to his son the tale of his encounter--and friendship--with a gigantic trout whose enormous jaw is covered with so many lures and fish hooks that he jangles when he swims, show more but who has never been caught.

Audience: Children ages 4 and up

Curriculum ties: language arts- what is a tall tale?, what is a legend?, compare and contrast the elements/characteristics of these types of stories; art- create paintings using oil paints

Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee, 2013

Personal response: Jangles: A Big Fish Story is a wild tall tale about a legendary trout famous for his ability to escape the wrath of being caught. Because so many tried to catch him unsuccessfully, Jangles makes a jangling sound from all the fishing hooks broken off in his mouth (hence how he got the name Jangles). I enjoyed the story until it turned into something completely unexpected and strange. It lost all of its magical appeal for me when the boy’s father tells him about an underwater encounter he had with Jangles as a boy in which he had an in-depth conversation with Jangles about the history of the earth. I get that it is tall tale and these types of stories are meant to be farfetched in nature, but this felt out of place and a bit contrived in order to wrap the ending into a neat little package. Aside from the story itself, the illustrations are wonderful. Shannon fills entire pages with larger than life colorful, oil painted images; giving the story of Jangles a mysterious and magical-like quality comparable to the legend of Moby Dick, if Moby Dick was a children’s picturebook that is. show less

Jangles is an excellent story that begins with a father telling his son the story of the biggest fish. Later when the boy is fishing he is surprised to meet Jangles, the biggest fish int he lake. jangles got hs name from all the hooks and lures hanging from his lips. They become friends and Jangles takes the boy on an adventure to the bottom of the lake. I can't say any more or it will ruin the end. Not only is this story beautifully illustrated with oil painting that pop out of the page, the story is funny, intriguing and full of lessons for life.

One word would describe this book for me, WOW. What an amazing story full of suspense, waiting to turn the beautiful illustrated pages to see if anyone can catch Jangles, the illusive fish. This story bursting with excitement takes you into Big Lake; home of Jangles the biggest fish anyone has ever seen and know one has managed to hook. David Shannon does an excellent job at creating a suspenseful page turner that leaves you wondering what will happen next. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. The flow of the story and the way in which the pictures jump off the page with wonder really keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing the whole time.

Everyone has heard an exaggerated story about that one giant fish that got away. David Shannon takes that story to a whole new level and creates a wildly imaginative tale of an enormous, elusive fish that lives in a cave and talks. A young boy encounters him and is faced with the decision to capture his new found friend or turn him loose and give up the hope of fame. I like how extreme everything in the story is and how it really stretches your imagination.

I love all of David Shannon's book so enjoying Jangles was not a surprise to me. The illustrations on each page support the text in the story. The illustrations are fun and over the top. They create this very whimsical and big sort of storytelling. The book actually reminds me of a movie from early 2000 called, Big Fish. A larger than life story told throughout town with a lesson learning ending. On the very first page Shannon describes the lake as, " smooth as glass and a thin mist whispers above it." The illustration that covers the entire page recreates those words with a beautiful painting. And of course the lake is so important, because that is where Jangles resides. From the very first page he sets the tone for the whole story. It show more is a wonderful story for anyone. show less

The genre of this book could either be fantasy or realistic fiction. A boy hears a wild big fish story from his father, about "Jangles," the huge fish that lives in Big Lake. Jangles takes his father down to his home at the bottom of the lake, where he has lived since the beginning of time, and can even speak! After Jangles takes him back up, the boy catches him and flips him upside-down before he realizes that what he's done is wrong. Jangles lets him keep all the hooks caught in his mouth over the years as proof that he caught him once, if he let him go. He does, and has the hooks in his tackle box to show for it. This book would be a fun one to use with boys, and if we were doing some sort of lesson on fish.