Join Books.org — it's free

Fiction - Animals, Children - Fiction & Literature
Swimmy by Leo Lionni — book cover

Swimmy

by Leo Lionni
Write a review
Log in to track your reading progress.

Overview

Deep in the sea there lives a happy school of little fish. Their watery world is full of wonders, but there is also danger, and the little fish are afraid to come out of hiding . . . until Swimmy comes along. Swimmy shows his friends how—with ingenuity and team work—they can overcome any danger. With its graceful text and stunning artwork, this Caldecott Honor Book deserves a place on every child’s shelf.

A little black fish in a school of red fish figures out a way of protecting them all from their natural enemies.

About the Author, Leo Lionni

Leo Lionni, an internationally known designer, illustrator, and graphic artist, was born in Holland and lived in Italy until he came to the United States in 1939. He was the recipient of the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was honored posthumously in 2007 with the Society of Illustrators’ Lifetime Achievement Award. His picture books are distinguished by their enduring moral themes, graphic simplicity and brilliant use of collage, and include four Caldecott Honor Books: Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Hailed as “a master of the simple fable” by the Chicago Tribune, he died in 1999 at the age of 89.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Swimmy is a happy black fish who lives in a school of red fish until a big tuna eats all of his brothers and sisters. Lonely and sad, Swimmy searches the sea and finally finds another school of red fish. These fish are too frightened to swim in the ocean, so Swimmy comes up with a plan: all the red fish swim close together in the shape of one giant fish, and black Swimmy is the eye!

From the Publisher

“An exquisite picture book.” —School Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Each of his [Lionni’s] books is self-consistent, a world unto itself. . . . Here is Swimmy: a tiny, insignificant fish in the vast and wide ocean who is ingenious enough to fend off the big, bad bully.” —Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Children's Literature - Debra Briatico

After a big tuna fish gulps up a school of Swimmy's friends, the small black fish journeys through the ocean and comes face-to-face with many marvelous creatures. When he meets up with a school of frightened fish, Swimmy uses his creativity to show them how to swim together as a group and outsmart the other big fish in the sea.

Book Details

Published
October 1, 1992
Publisher
Random House USA Inc
Pages
32
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780394826202

More by Leo Lionni

Similar books