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A big, ugly fish has trouble making the friends he longs for because of his appearance--until the day his scary appearance saves them all from a fisherman's net.

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20 reviews
Poor Big Al! He just wants to make friends. And in the whole wide blue sea you can't find a nicer fish. But because Big Al is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him.
What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!
Poor Big Al! He just wants to make friends. And in the whole wide blue sea you can't find a nicer fish. But because Big Al is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him. What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!
Poor Big Al! He just wants to make friends. And in the whole wide blue sea you can't find a nicer fish. But because Big Al is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him. What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!
This book is very similar to the Rainbow Fish in that it talks about including everyone in what is going on. I can really relate to this book because I was bullied a lot in school, but when someone needed something, they always came to me for advice on important things. This is a good book to teach about equality and perception. Not everyone is who they seem, it takes some getting to know you before we can really find out someone's true side.
Big Al just wants to make friends. He is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him. He tries everything he can think of from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. A fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be! This book teaches a lesson that no matter race, size, or your physical features we all can be friends.
½
Big Al is a children's book about a fish named Big Al who is big and scary looking. Dispite that, he has a big heart. Big Al wants to make friends, but when any of the fish look at him they run away. The fish fail to see who he really is. It's only untill Big Al saves them, that the other fish see how kind he is and befriend him.

This is the a wonderful book for children, as it shows that dispite how someone looks, the inside counts the most. Big Al is also made up with easy and simple words, and the vibrant illustrations that children will find appealing.
Big Al is a great fantasy book that could be used for character education. The book is about a big, ugly, scary fish who has no friends because of his appearance. None of the other fish want to be his friends because he doesn’t fit in with them. Big Al tries to change his appearance by wrapping himself in seaweed, puffing himself up, and burying himself in the sand so he looks friendlier. However, none of these solutions work. One day a bunch of the fish get caught in a fishing net and need help to escape. Big Al is able to use his sharp teeth to free the fish. Unfortunately he gets tangled in the net and caught. However, the fishermen throw him back. When he returns to the sea all the fish cheer for him and want to be his friend show more because he saved their lives. In the end, Big Al has lots of friends and is no longer lonely. show less

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116 Works 61,192 Members
Andrew Clements was born in Camden, New Jersey on May 7, 1949. He received a bachelor's degree in literature from Northwestern University and master's degree in teaching from National Louis University. Before becoming a full-time author, he taught in the public schools north of Chicago for seven years, was a singer-songwriter, and worked in show more publishing. He is well known for his picture book texts, but it was his middle school novel, Frindle, that was a breakthrough for his writing career. Frindle won numerous awards including the Georgia Children's Book Award, the Sasquatch Children's Book Award, the Massachusetts Children's Book Award, the Rhode Island Children's Book Award, and the Year 2000 Young Hoosier Book Award. His other works include The Landry News, The Janitor's Boy, No Talking, Things Not Seen, Things Hoped For, and Things That Are. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Yoshi (Illustrator)

Common Knowledge

Original publication date
1991

Classifications

Genres
Children's Books, Picture Books
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PZ7 .E355 .BLanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
BISAC

Statistics

Members
2,318
Popularity
8,615
Reviews
19
Rating
(3.91)
Languages
English, Korean
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
18
ASINs
3