The Bravest Fish

This book is so cute, especially for young kids that love the sea. It is about a fish who wakes up late and does not get to meet up with his friends before they swim to warmer water for the winter. This fish then embarks on a journey to find his friends and even faces a shark!

The central message of the book can go many different ways. I found the most important message to be, do not ever be late. This is great for kids because they can miss school if they are late, church, or even a sporting event. No one ever wants to be left behind. Another central message is being brave. This fish took on the ocean all alone to be reunited with friends. It definitely took courage and the ability to be brave for this to be done.

I liked this book mainly because of the illustrations. I liked how Stanley had to go through small obstacles to get to what he wanted. I thought that the facial expressions on the fish reflected the text well. I liked how the shine of the scales was one of the reasons Stanley found his friends. It was rewarding to read and watch Stanley go through his journey and ultimately find what he was looking for, his friends. I also liked how the illustrator made the fish different shapes and sizes when they were all gathered in the end. It added a diversity aspect when the illustrator could have made the school of fish all look identical.
I think the message of this picture book is to show readers to be persistent and don't give up. Stanley could show more have given up after the second bump in the road but remained determined, I liked this most about the story. show less

In the Bravest Fish, Matt Buckingham tells the tale of a goldfish who misses the school boat to travel to cooler waters for the summer. Throughout the book we see Stanley the goldfish experience different trials all the way from a threatening shark to a lobster guarding treasure. Buckingham does a great job of focusing the colors of the illustration on and setting the mood of the story throughout the entire book.

Bright Stanley is Matt Buckingham's first book and it is a good one! The cute, sparkly main character, Stanley is lovable right from the start. Colourful illustrations and sparkly fish fill the 26 pages of this book complemented by readable text. The simple storyline is easy to follow and the focus on the importance of friends is a theme that all readers can relate to.

Bright Stanley is in a school of bright, sparkly fish. One day he wakes up late and can't find his friends. He searches all over and almost gets eaten by a shark. He finally sees a bright orange glow and relaizes that his freinds came looking for him.

This is a neat book about friends sticking together. I love the illustrations- they were so vibrant and rich in color.

This could be used to discuss friendship, but also punctuality.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that children will enjoy looking at. The characters are fun and Stanley is a lot like a child. The pictures and even some of the story line lend themselves to predictions.

This book is a good example of fantasy because it has a realistic setting of the ocean, but then the main characters are sea animals that talk which makes it unrealistic.
Media Used: Mixed Media
Age Appropriateness: Primary