Fin Pal asks Norman "Do you like scary books?"
PSSSST! Do you want to know a secret?
Do you promise not to tell?
CLOSER . . . Let me whisper in your ear . . .
Norman the Goldfish is a Scaredy Fish! Yep, that’s why, in Not Norman, when the boy hears SCRATCH SCREETCH Norman is watching.
What’s more! In Norman One Amazing Goldfish, our fishy friend gets so scaredy he is quivers and shakes with Stage Fright!
What happens next? (No way am I spoiling the ending here. Read the book to find out!)
But here’s the secret: Norman loves reading books that are scary. Especially when they are about fish. If you like picture books that are a little bit scary and a whole lot of fun, read on:
Norman’s List of Five Best Scaredy-Fish Picture Books
(On a scare level of #1-5. #5 being fish scale-raising scariest.) *
#1 Ten Scared Fish by Ros Moriarty, illustrated by Balarinji (published by Allen & Unwin Australia, 2012.)
This underwater Australian creature counting book starts out 1-2-3 with Turtles, then a Snake…until finally 10 little Fish meet a big scary SHARK! Bold, bright pictures perfect for 1–3-year-olds.
#2 Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Scot Magoon (published by Harcourt, 2006).
What’s scarier than a bully? Ugly Fish is ugly and big and mean, and he doesn’t share…with anyone! And that means the wimpy little fish who keep showing up in his tank have got to go. But then one day someone bigger and uglier and maybe even meaner arrives . . .
#3 Barry the Fish with Fingers and the Scary Harry Monster by Sue Hendra, illustrated by Paul Linnet (published by Simon & Schuster, 2011).
As that fabulous title suggests, this is a great fun read-aloud! Barry & his fishy friends are playing hide & seek. Puffy finds a great hiding place in an old wreck, but he gets scared out of his wits when he sees a hairy monster lurking in the shadows. Luckily Barry the fish with fingers comes to the rescue! Spoiler alert: the “monster” is just a friendly seahorse in need of a haircut.
#4 Teeth, Tentacles, and Tail Fins: A Wild Ocean Pop-Up by Matthew Reinhart (published by Reinhart Studios, 2021).
Pop-Up book of underwater creatures that jump out from the page! Literally! (Imagine the Jaws shark leaping for the boat—that image!) That and 49 others including the colossal squid, the anglerfish, goblin shark, of course, with facts about the creatures. Definitely not a bedtime read, and yes, pop-ups are fragile, but so worth it (and tape-able).
#5 Creepy But Cool Fish by Julie K. Lundgren (published by Crabtree Seedling, 2021)
Non-Fiction—what’s scarier than real life? Book of photographs of fish—from baby fish called “fry” to the whale shark—the largest fish! Including facts about how fish adapt in weird ways to their environment in order to survive.
*Amazon buying links are included for your convenience only; I do not receive payment/rewards for them. Our preference is that we buy local & support local booksellers!
