The Magic Fish

Wonderful book. Teaches a good moral.

An old story about kindness and greed.A fisherman spares the life of a magic fish and is rewarded with a wish. The sudden modest riches make his wife greedy for ever more extravagant treasure and power. Until she overreaches.Good life lesson. Fun illustrations.

I love reading this old tale to my students at Christmas time! It is a fantastic read aloud for kids of all ages.

I first read this book as a young girl reading to my baby sisters. My sister asked me if I still had my book from 1968. She wanted to read it to her grandchild. I was delighted to find the same author with new illustrations in hard copy. It was a perfect Christmas gift for my sister.

I got this book 13 years ago for my oldest son and fell in love. While playing with my 6m old I randomly said, "we shall see" and went on a hunt. This book represents the darkness that overcomes with greed, the dedication of a loving husband and the companionship of a dog all with out saying it.

The art is different, but the story is the same. Very good message for those who are never satisfied. Good to read to childtrn.

"The Magic Fish" is Freya Littledale's retelling of the classic Grimm's folk tale about a kindly fisherman, his greedy wife, and a magic fish (actually an enchanted prince) capable of granting wishes. Naturally, the wife is the villain in this tale, who is ultimately taught a hard lesson about greed and limits - a lesson that many in our modern era apparently need to learn. Having adapted many folk and fairy tales for her children's books, Littledale uses her experience to retell the tale in simple, straightforward language that is easy for young children to understand. Her retelling of this tale also lends itself to being read aloud, and parents will no doubt enjoy reading it to their children.I was, however, slightly disappointed with the book's illustrations, which were created by veteran children's book artist Winslow Pinney Pels. Although I do appreciate the medieval woodcut-like style that Pels has chosen for this book, the colors that he uses in its illustrations are so subdued that they sometimes seem a bit washed out. More importantly, the book's namesake - the Magic Fish - is drawn throughout the book with this spooky, dead expression on his face. The Magic Fish looks less like an enchanted prince, and more like today's market special, ready for a garlic-butter sauce and a twist of lemon. Pels is adept enough at drawing facial expressions, as one can see from the weary look on the fisherman's face whenever he has to deal with his wife, or from his wife's increasingly haughty and imperious demeanor as her increasingly outrageous wishes are granted. It seems as if Pels should have been able to make the Magic Fish seem a bit more...magical.Although "The Magic Fish" isn't perfect, it is still worth reading to the kids as a bedtime story. It avoids the cutesiness and smarminess that plagues many modern renditions of fairy tales, including the "happily ever after" endings that were absent from the originals. Here, as in the original tale, character flaws and vices have definite consequences, which one can regret for the rest of one's life. It's a moral worth teaching to young children, even if you have to explain to them that the fish in the story isn't some weird zombie carp.

Even though a smallish book, the emotionally-accurate illustrations are large enough for distant listeners/viewers to enjoy the attitudes expressed in the story. The theme of greed becomes obvious quite soon. The students can easily predict the fisherman's wife's response to her good fortunes, and will eagerly recite her dissatisfactory refrain at the proper time. This is a very brief tale and an ideal read for that "little time" so many teachers seem to have. My 1-3 student audiences are very sympathetic to the fisherman and hold disdain for his wife.Picture Book Folk Tale: Grades 1-3 The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

Great book

Classic book!!!