Fish Friends Forever

by Kerry Ferguson, Aliaa Betawi (Illustrator)

Overview

This touching story of losing a dear pet and learning how to move forward is told in endearing diary entries and tender, childlike art.

"Whoop-a-loop and wahoo!" writes the young girl in her diary on the day she welcomes her pet fish, Frank, into her home. She and Frank play games such as Hide and Seek and Who Can Hold Their Breath the Longest (Frank wins that one!), they dress up for Halloween together, and she writes Frank lullabies and valentines.

But one day Frank doesn't come out from his hiding place and isn't interested in his fish food. A few days later he has died and she is inconsolable. Frank was her forever friend, and she could never love another fish. Or could she?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593700211
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/05/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kerry Ferguson writes stories for kids and their families for the page and for the stage. A professor, poet, playwright, and picture-book author, she has had two of her plays mounted at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre. She lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with her fun and funny family of humans, dogs, and rabbits.

Aliaa Betawi is a Palestinian illustrator living in Egypt. She wants to make kids feel seen, heard, and less lonely. She is also the illustrator of A MAP FOR FALASTEEN by Maysa Odeh.

Editorial Reviews

"This tender, earnest look at the beautiful connection between pet and child is deeply authentic, showcasing the intense emotions, effectively expressed by Betawi’s quirky artwork, which has an intimate, childlike feel that pairs well with the journal format. Ferguson’s earnest epistolary text, by turns bubbly and raw with sorrow, captures the youngster’s deep emotions with empathy and understanding. A loving look at being thankful for the time we have with others—however fleeting." —Kirkus

From the Publisher

2025-07-19
A new pet prompts complex emotions.

An unnamed pale-skinned child is obsessed with Frank, a green-scaled, rosy-cheeked fish. The youngster documents their relationship in a diary, recording everything from Halloween (“I dressed up as Frank…Frank dressed up as me. Fish friends forever!”) to Valentine’s Day (“We all made cards for Franky. He blushed”). A poignant entry on February 25 notes that today Frank refused to come out of the shell in his tank; eventually, he dies. The child is devastated; bouts of door-slamming anger ensue (the protagonist dutifully apologies), followed by moments of deep grief, beautifully shown in a mournful double-page spread depicting Frank’s funeral. After some time, the child receives a new pet, a pink fish named Fern, much to the little one’s chagrin. After some initial disappointment that Fern doesn’t play exactly like Frank, the child becomes open to the possibility of forging new bonds while respecting Frank’s memory. This tender, earnest look at the beautiful connection between pet and child is deeply authentic, showcasing intense emotions, effectively expressed by Betawi’s quirky artwork, which has an intimate, childlike feel that pairs well with the journal format. Ferguson’s earnest epistolary text, by turns bubbly and raw with sorrow, captures the youngster’s deep emotions with empathy and understanding.

A loving look at being thankful for the time we have with others—however fleeting.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews