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Swimmy by Leo Lionni.



Bibliography
Lionni, L.(1963).Swimmy. New York: Radom House.

Book Summary
Swimmy is a little black fish in a school of small red fish. Swimmy becomes the sole survivor of an attack from a huge tuna fish that swallows up all the little red brothers and sisters. Swimmy is left lonely and scared, all alone in the big ocean among huge creatures.As he swims around the ocean, he is awed by all the marvelous and beautiful creatures. He encounters a lobster “who walked about like a water-moving machine” and an eel “whose tale was almost too far away to see”. The wonders are endless. He soon stumbles upon a school of little red fish hiding behind a rock. The fish are scared to come out and play because of all the big creatures in the ocean. Soon swimmy entices them to come out of hiding. He teaches them how to swim in a pattern that makes them look like one humongous fish. Swimmy is the eye of this fish. The little red fish live happily ever after.

My Impression
Swimmy is a great story of a little fish who teaches other little fish how to survive the dangerous ocean by uniting together to form a strong ally that fools other fish. The story is told in simple colorful words that children will understand. Lionni makes the creatures of the ocean alive by using colorful descriptions that make the reader visualize the different activities that they are engaged in. The scared little fish is something little kids can identify with. One black fish mobilize the red fish to join together and form one huge red fish, a lesson for little children that they can work together irrespective of differences in how they look and uniting together for a common goal is more powerful than working alone. The illustrations look like something one painted of the pages of the book. Children will find them funny and easy to identify with. The pictures are detailed and the black fish stands out from among the other ocean creatures. The illustrations could have used a splash of more vibrant and bright colors to bring out the wonders of the ocean. I found the story line and colorful choice of words appropriate for children.

Reviews:
Children's Literature
After a big tuna fish gulps up a school of Swimmy's friends, the small black fish journeys through the ocean and comes face-to-face with many marvelous creatures. When he meets up with a school of frightened fish, Swimmy uses his creativity to show them how to swim together as a group and outsmart the other big fish in the sea.

Use in a Library Setting
This book can be used in an ocean themed story time in conjunction with ocean themed books such as “The Rainbow Fish” by Pfister, Marcus  and “Big Al” by Andrew Clements.

References/citations:
Book image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Swimmy/Leo-Lionni/e/9780394817132/?itm=1&USRI=swimmy
 

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