Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts about Fascinating Fish

by Debra Kempf Shumaker, Claire Powell (Illustrator)

Overview

From zapping, stinging, even singing, to playing dead or having a see-through head, discover the interesting things different fish do to survive in this delightful non-fiction picture book.

Fish have fins and gills and tails. All fish swim and most have scales. But not all fish act or look the same. From zapping, stinging, even singing, Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts about Fascinating Fish is an adorable picture book with a scientific—and child-friendly—underpinning. With examples of different fish for each description, as well as extensive backmatter explaining the fascinating science behind these variety of fish, this funky book captures the wonder of our ecosystem.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762468843
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	704,661
Product dimensions:	8.85(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Debra Kempf Shumaker loves weird and fascinating facts. When she isn't reading or writing, Debra enjoys cooking, gardening, and watching Jeopardy. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, three sons, and two cats who miss the days the youngest son owned an aquarium full of fish. Freaky, FunkyFish is her debut picture book.

Claire Powell is a bestselling children's book illustrator working in London, UK. She started out designing for big-hitting television brands before an impromptu visit to a children's book exhibition led her down the path of illustration. A hugely versatile artist, Claire has a talent for creating characters that are brimming with emotion and personality.

Editorial Reviews

"Simultaneously enlightening and enthralling."—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

2021-03-31
While fish are similar in having fins, gills, tails, and usually scales, in other ways they can be surprising.

Shumaker’s debut picture book introduces a variety of unusual fish grouped into 18 different examples of intriguing appearances or behaviors. She introduces her categories page by page, with single lines of rhyming couplets in a large, legible type: “Some fish dance and some play dead. / One fish sports a see-through head!” The groupings seem arbitrary, as is often the case for collections of curiosities, but the facts are certainly interesting and generally accurate. The page designs vary widely. Some spreads are filled with cheerful cartoons full of different fish species. Other pages feature a single fish, sometimes with further details and labels in a smaller font. These fish have googly eyes and expressive faces but are reasonably recognizable in appearance. Many pages include a box with further facts—but not always the same kinds of facts. Beyond the species name, there might be observations, field notes, or a relevant question. Most fish also have a “freakiness” or “funkiness” rating displayed, as if that, too, were a fact like its interesting behavior or location. Three pages of backmatter give more information about fish that zap, sting, sing, and so on. Pair with Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig’s Do Jellyfish Like Peanut Butter?, illustrated by Ellen Shi (2020), for more marine fun.

An odd assortment designed for entertainment over education. (further learning, selected sources) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews