Big Bear and Little Fish

by Sandra Nickel, Il Sung Na (Illustrator)

Overview

Friendship comes in all sizes. At the carnival, Bear wants to win a teddy bear as big as she is. Instead, she gets a fish. A very little fish. Bear is so very big and Fish is so very small that Bear worries they have nothing in common. With the help of Fish, Bear learns that although she and Fish are different, they are also a little the same.

Gentle, accessible prose by Sandra Nickel is paired with richly textured illustrations by Il Sung Na in this sweet story about accepting others for who they are.

Big Bear and Little Fish was named a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book by the National Council of Teachers of English. The Charlotte Huck Award recognizes fiction that has the "potential to transform children's lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728417172
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,092,675
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Sandra Nickel is a writer of nonfiction picture books for children. Her work includes The Stuff Between Stars, Nacho's Nachos, and Breaking Through the Clouds. She is the winner of a Christopher Award and holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When at home in Switzerland, Sandra loves ambling and rambling and eating carrot muffins just as much as Bear and Fish do.

Il Sung Na was born in Seoul, South Korea. In 2001, he moved to London to pursue a BFA in Illustration and Animation at Kingston University, where he discovered a passion for children's books. He completed his MFA Illustration Practice at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in 2015. Il Sung has illustrated several books including Wild Peace, My Tree, and ZZZZ: A Book of Sleep. Currently based in Kansas City, Il Sung teaches illustration courses at KCAI (Kansas City Art Institute) and works on new books.

Editorial Reviews

09/26/2022

“If only Fish were a teddy bear,” Bear repeatedly thinks to herself upon returning home from the fair, having won a goldfish rather than the hoped-for plush teddy. The narrow-minded protagonist fixates on what seem to her like insurmountable differences. While Bear sees herself as “big,” Fish is so small that she lives in a bowl; Bear likes to eat food that’s golden, like Bear is, but doesn’t have anything orange to give Fish. But Fish, bespectacled and bookish, exudes confidence, and when Bear declares that things aren’t working out, the aquatic roomie persuades her to alter her perspective about their compatibility and to broaden her sense of self. Na’s digital artwork aptly supplies iridescent landscapes representative of Nickel’s emphasis on perspective-shifting. An honest and encouraging tribute to the way companionship can emerge in unexpected forms. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"This story showcases our similarities, even if we might not see them at first glance, opening the door to discussion about how we connect with each other more deeply than appearances."—Children's Literature

From the Publisher

2022-06-22
An initially disappointing carnival prize turns out to be more rewarding than it seems.

Bear has her heart set on winning the biggest teddy bear at the fair, but instead she wins a fish—a fish “so small it lived in a bowl.” Bear reluctantly takes home her prize, but her sadness keeps her from seeing Fish’s potential for companionship. Bear goes on a walk alone and returns to tell the fish it cannot stay—their first real conversation. Fish counters every one of Bear’s arguments, and finally Bear sets off on another walk—this time, holding the fishbowl. Fish is orange, with red spectacles, a stack of books, a bed, and a plant; Bear is brown (some readers may be confused when she refers to herself as gold, but Fish clears up the discrepancy later) and walks upright. Gently rounded, softly colored hills, clouds, and trees, depicted with a grayish blue tinge, lend an underwater feeling to Bear’s world, subtly linking it to Fish’s bowl. Bear and Fish are sometimes big on the page, sometimes small, reinforcing the importance of perspective in this lovely, gently humorous story of the friendship that grows between different creatures when they accept each other for who they are. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful tale of unexpected friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews