Epic. Definitely caught my listener's attention.Always a pleasure - this time, my listener acted it out :-)

Dark, but funny. Love the colors. Uncertain about intelligence of aquarium owner. Recommended.

This is a humorous book about bullying and karma. interesting quote:"Ugly Fish chased Teensy Fish around the tank. And then he ate him." (pp. 9-10 - unpaged)

...oh my god, that was really violent!

Dr. McCracken's read aloud performance of this book made me love this book instantly. It is an entertaining story that will leave kids laughing and anticipating what comes next. The moral of the story is something that should be discussed after reading because students will have a varied natural response. The illustrations were great and engaging.

About ten years ago, I happened on a complete aquarium kit at a yard sale for only eight bucks. What a deal, right? Of course it meant a trip to the pet store where the kids and I blew fifty dollars on fish and fish-related accessories. The store clerk was quite helpful as she advised my boys on how to carefully choose their new pets."Remember," she cautioned, "if one fish can fit inside another's mouth . . . IT WILL!"Ugly Fish knows that lesson well. He is big fish (and only fish) in his tank,

I liked this story but, oddly, I never caught on that it was a story about bullying until I read the author information on the back flap of the dust jacket. I just thought it was a story about how the tables can be turned on mean and self-centered people, and how those who are mean to others can be the victims of meanness in turn. I think what disconnected the bullying idea from the story for me was the fact that Ugly Fish ate his tank-mates. A bully doesn't generally destroy others; he wants th...

3.5 out of 5Ugly Fish is a darkly humorous picturebook about, depending on how you look at it, either bullying or survival of the fittest (or, perhaps, survival of the biggest bully?).Anyways, it's a lot of fun, especially for a storytime. In fact, that's how I first encountered Ugly Fish, and I remember LOVING it.Scott Magoon's illustrations are simple, comic, and expressive:P.S. Ugly Fish reminded me of my own "Tank of Survival" when I was in college.

Ugly Fish is the RULER of his tank and he likes having things his own way. He likes having his flakes each day, and he likes swimming around, but what he doesn't like is sharing any of those things with other fish.When they enter the tank, with their friendly smiles and happy attitudes he has a very special way of dealing with them.He EATS THEM!Ugly Fish is content to live his solitary life until one day, he has a change of heart, and wouldn't you know it, in comes Smiley Fish...a much larger an...

Before there was I WANT MY HAT BACK and THIS IS NOT MY HAT there was UGLY FISH.

The eponymous Ugly Fish enjoys having his tank to himself in this darkly amusing picture-book from author Kara LaReau and illustrator Scott Magoon. Each new fish that is added to the tank is eaten by our ugly piscine hero, until loneliness prompts him to try a new tack. Unfortunately for him, the new addition to the tank, Shiny Fish, is just like him, only bigger...The ending of Ugly Fish is sure to raise some eyebrows amongst those who expect picture-book fare to be sweet and light, with edifyi...

I love this book. I have read it to children, adults, and college students, varying the message to fit the discussion. For children, there are powerful messages about bullying. For adults, there are messages about workplace politics, and how one should conduct themselves. For college students, I used this book when I taught creative writing and also when I taught a Psychology class. My own children love this book, and can relate on a simple humorous note. It is one to own, not borrow.

Ugly Fish is an onlyfish until one day a new fish appears in his tank. He chases it around and then eats it. Ditto the next roommate and the next, and the next. When he's finally alone (the way he likes it), he realizes that he enjoyed having someone around to chase - maybe he shouldn't have eaten all of his new friends? The next fish that gets introduced to the tank is a big fish, a BIGGER fish, and Ugly Fish goes out of his way to make the new fish feel welcome (he's going to do things right t...

Great illustrations, and a cautionary tale everyone sometimes needs to be reminded of, regardless of their age: If you act like a jerk, someone is going to settle your hash sooner or later. Now rest assured, Ms Lareau does not use language like 'jerk' anywhere in this book. Instead it is about a pretty but greedy fish who did not want to share his home, despite repeated attempts to provide him with friends. When he finally comes around to the idea that it might be nice to have some company, his

Loved the pictures, good moral, entertaining story. The kids laughed a few times, and enjoyed the anticipation of discovering what lesson Ugly Fish was going to learn. I enjoyed that this was a book aimed at bullies instead of a book aimed at those who are bullied. Bullying requires a victim and an aggressor, and it's a problem that needs to be addressed from both angles. This book takes a look at the aggressive side of the equation in a way that is engaging, probably subtle for many kids, and i...

Ugly Fish likes his tank and the briny flakes that he’s fed. He loves swimming around in it so much that he doesn’t want to share it with anyone. So, because he’s big and mean and ugly, whenever another fish is introduced to his tank he eats them. But then he gets lonely and wishes for a friend. Unfortunately, his repentance comes too late, because the next fish in the tank is bigger than he is, and Ugly Fish is the one who gets eaten.The moral is short and brutal, and the illustrations are whim...

Reading LevelsLexile: 500LDRA: 18Explanation of 5-star rating: I gave this book 5-stars because this book has a good amount of repetition and humor that an elementary student would love to read. Also, this book doesn't have the typical happy ending that comes with children's books so I think it would be of use to my classroom library. How we might use this in our classroom/application of six traits: Of the six traits, I think this book expresses ideas well. The idea of the story is going to brin...

LaReau, K. (2006). Ugly fish. Ill. S. Magoon. Orlando, FL: HMH Books for Young Readers.This book is about a fish who is ugly and mean and scary. He keeps eating his friend, until he complains about not having any friends. But then he gets eaten by his new friend.The media used in this book by the illustrator was pen and ink.This book is comical, but some children may find it to be sad. I think it would be good from this book to go over what types of fish can live in a tank together and what type...

I want to remember this book for my future classroom because of the message that it teaches: you can change, but your reputation follows you and is unfortunately what people will see first regardless of the changes you have made. The response activities with the lesson are limitless, and I believe that students would really enjoy and connect with the story. It is comical, but it is also packed with truth.

Conceptually, this book reminded me of I Just Ate My Friend, with a similar focus on friendship and impulse control (or lack-there-of). However this one seems to have more of a bullying angle. It's certainly very funny, however I'm not sure that the final lesson is a very happy one. I guess it just pays to be top of the food chain.