Don’t Trust Fish

PreS-Gr 3–This hilarious book is going to be a big hit with young readers. An unseen storyteller starts by describing the five different kingdoms of animals, in artwork that is both realistic and traditional. Once the narration gets to the fish kingdom, story and art change. There are wild opinions thrown about how fish don’t follow the rules—some have gills and some have lungs. Then the conspiracy theories start: “We can’t see fish. What are they talking about? We must learn their fishy secrets.” The illustration style continues to evolve into a more fantastical and comical style, with images that will have readers laughing out loud. What’s really funny is the surprise conclusion that gives Sharpton and Santat the last laugh. This is a terrific book for young readers who will be highly entertained by the text and images, but it could also be used with older students for a lesson on bias, author’s purpose, and media literacy.