I can’t help but smile whenever I read the New York Times Bestseller “The Pout-Pout Fish” written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna. I can’t keep my listeners from grinning, either, or from chiming in on the refrain with this dreary-weary, permanently-pouting fish: “Blub. Blub. Blub.” With a little help from an unexpected friend, Mr. Fish does find a way to turn that frown upside-down. This rhyming story is great for building phonological awareness, and I love the finger rhyme that Debbie Diesen came up with to go with the book:
“Five little pouty fish swimming ’round the bed,
One blub-blubbed his grumpy head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
‘Read a good book and he’ll smile instead!'”
For more fun activities and free reproducibles, go to her website: deborahdiesen.com and be sure to check out “The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark”.
Guess Who Is Out of the Den?
