Synopsis
Fish come in all shapes and sizes, from huge whale sharks to small pipefish. But what is a fish? What do fish have in common, and how are they different from other animals?
Children's Literature
This book in the Living Things series easily explains the difference between what readers might think are fish because they spend a lot of their lives in water or are named as such, and what are not fish. A starfish for example is not a fish at all. Dolphins and whales look like fish but are not. It is also interesting to learn that there are fish that survive in the freezing waters of Antarctica and fish that live in desert spring waters too hot to even touch. Many fish are truly unusual looking and can also be complex. Some can be male and female at the same time, each created to adapt to the environment in which it survives. Mudskippers can even leave the water and move across land with their fins for a short time. Fish can be found everywhere, which can draw any child to the countless miles of rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes for exploration. Photographs and illustrations work beautifully with the text, and there are excellent varied resources in the back pages. Reviewer: Joan Elste