The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
We love reading books together! During the holidays stories that are holiday related are a must in our house.
This was our first Pout-Pout Fish book we have read of the series. I must say that this book definitely fits into that famous saying “Don’t judge a book from it’s cover.” It was different than I expected based on the title and cover art. By the cover I took a guess that the story would be about a grouchy fish that needed cheering up to get into the Christmas spirit with the help of his close friends. I did not expect such an important and relatable theme and lesson to be the real root of the story. It’s definitely a story that I enjoyed.
Mr. Fish starts off by making his Christmas to-do and shopping list with all the good intentions hoping that he will be able to bring joy and happiness to his dear friends. See what I mean…different right? Anywho, he goes from store to store in search of the perfect gifts and because of one thing or another leaves empty-handed. Crushed that he has all but ruined Christmas, he ends up learning (with the help of one of his friends) that the best gifts truly do come from the heart and he turns what was a stressful and unsuccessful gift hunt into something fun for him and meaningful for his friends. This is definitely a great great lesson for all, especially around this time of year!
The story is also told in a nice rhythmic rhyme so it’s as fun to read out loud as it is to listening to it. My 4 year old likes that there are parts that are repeated throughout the book. He has memorized those parts of the book and chimes in.
About the book…
“A gift should be big,
And a gift should be bright.
And a gift should be perfect–
Guaranteed to bring delight.
And a gift should have meaning
Plus a bit of bling-zing,
So I’ll shop till I drop
For each just-right thing!”
Will Mr. Fish find perfect gifts for everyone on his list? Will he finish his shopping in time?
Swim along with Mr. Fish on his holiday shopping quest. He might just discover that the best gifts of all come straight from the heart.
Available to buy from…
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound
About the author…
Biography
I’m the author of the Pout-Pout Fish book series, illustrated by Dan Hanna. The series includes full-length picture book stories and also includes some very short MINI-adventure books.
Pout-Pout Fish full-length stories (for toddlers, preschoolers, and older – 32 pages long) include:
∙ The Pout-Pout Fish
∙ The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark
∙ The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School
∙ The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish
Pout-Pout Fish MINI-adventure stories (for babies and very young toddlers — just 12 pages long, with a few words per page) include:
∙ Smile, Pout-Pout Fish
∙ Sweet Dreams, Pout-Pout Fish
∙ Kiss, Kiss, Pout-Pout Fish (December 2015)
Also available are a Pout-Pout Fish lift-the-flap book, a wipe-clean alphabet/numbers workbook, and several plushes.
I’m also the author of “The Barefooted, Bad-Tempered Baby Brigade” (illustrated by Tracy Dockray) and of “Picture Day Perfection” (illustrated by Dan Santat).
For more information about my books, stop by my web site at deborahdiesen.com