“Read to Me!” Grandpa Don

Children today are losing their connections to nature and the outdoors. Richard Louv, in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, labeled this the ‘nature deficit disorder.’  What’s wrong with spending less time in the outdoors?  Childhood obesity, ADD, mood disorders, and even myopia, have been associated with excessive indoor child rearing habits. Many parents fear the outdoors and keep children indoors entertained by electronic devices.  Richard Louv, however, recalls that "The woods were my Ritalin. Nature calmed me, focused me, and yet excited my senses."

Page from Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

How will today’s youth ever develop a strong love for nature and the outdoors?  We need to put away our electronic devices and read to children. When you do, be prepared for short attention spans and child-fueled activity levels. That's normal, but so is a child's curiosity. In those rare, special moments we should be ready to read a book at your child’s level.  And it should preferably be about fish and fish life.  What did you expect from a blog labeled “Ichthyology?”  The key is to start early. It’s never too early to read to your child.   

When you read a narrative to a child, remember that your voice matters.  Read the lines in the voice of each character.  Storylines help young children develop their ability to attribute mental and emotional states to others.  Stories have influences on children.  Most adults will share an influence from early reading and how it sparked a life-long curiosity.  Dr. Solomon David, Assistant Professor at Nicholls State University, and authority on primitive fishes, recalled how his first exposure to an Alligator Gar in Ranger Rick magazine sparked a life-long interest in these ancient fishes (see Living Fossil Fishes).   My own eureka moment started me on a long quest to become a fisheries scientist (see On Becoming An Ichthyologist).

Grandpa Don reads The Three Billy Goats Gruff to grand-daughter, Cora. Photo by Valerie Orth.

Most children's books are not about fish. 😠  But there are some wonderful options, old classics and new classics.  Here I will introduce eight of my favorites.  

Grandmother Fish: A Child's First Book of Evolution, by Jonathan Tweet and Karen Lewis, is written for pre-schoolers.  Have you ever wondered how to explain natural selection to a child? Grandmother Fish takes children and adults through the history of life on our planet and explains how we are all connected. It even includes an evolutionary family tree that shows how Grandmother Fish is related to all types of life.  Grandmother Fish also includes guidelines for talking with your children about natural selection.

Children's fishy books on my living room coffee table. 

Fish Do the Strangest Things, by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow, was part of a nature series (Animals do..., Birds do..., and Insects do...) to encourage young children to read.  Published in 1966, it is the earliest published book on my Fishy List.  It includes many interesting facts and illustrations about seventeen unique fishes.  This book explores the way of life of the remora sharksucker, grunion, flying fish, sea horse, mudskipper, and many more wonders of the fish world.  The descriptions are long and accurate, best for more advanced and patient readers. 

Sea Stories: How the Tiny Gobies Saved their Coral Home, by Danielle Dixon and Maural Sowlet, explores the relationship between gobies and coral reefs.  In this story, the critters are personified and have a lesson for the reader.  The story and the critters are based on recent scientific investigations on how corals can send chemical signals to gobies so they will remove competing seaweeds. The story is a fun read for children and has additional information to engage the adult reader.  I anxiously await the release of the next book, Sea Stories: How the Clownfishes Home Gets Into Hot Water. 

The Pout-Pout Fish, by Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna, is the first in a popular series of Pout-Pout books for preschoolers.  The language is rhyming and the bug-eyed fish spreads "dreary wearies" all over the place.  Undersea creatures of all types (clam, jellyfish, octopus, squid) complain that "Your hulky-bulky sulking is an unattractive trait!"  The excerpt below demonstrates how fun this book is to read aloud.  

     Deep in the water

     Where the fish hang out

     Lives a glum gloomy swimmer

     With an ever-present pout.

Several pout pout fish books are available that deal with issues of bullies, school, being alone in the dark, and holiday activities. While I cannot be certain what fish species the pout-pout fish was patterned after, I do know the permanent frown is common look for most fish predators.

This sculpin has a pout-pout look and never smiles.  Photo by Isaac Szabo with permission.

Two books, Shark Lady (by Jess Keating) and Swimming with Sharks (by Heather Lang), explore the ground-breaking work of marine biologist, Dr. Eugenie Clark (1922-2015).  Clark was an inspiration to many young female scientists for her tenacious persistence in the face of male dominance in her field. At one point her mother suggested "maybe you should take up typing and you could be a secretary to William Beebe." William Beebe was her hero at the time.  However, she ignored such biased opinions and went on to do groundbreaking studies while raising four children!  She made numerous scientific advances and published over 175 scientific articles during her career. She wrote two books Lady with a Spear (1953) and The Lady and the Sharks (1969) that chronicled her early experiences.  The two new children's books are a fitting tribute to her life and work devoted to diving and science.  If interested, read her obituary. 

 

From Shark Lady, one of Eugenie Clark's professors believed that women should not become scientists or ocean explorers.

Eugenie Clark was not deterred by the prevailing opinions of the time.  Shark Lady

The Rainbow Fish is an award-winning book about a beautiful fish who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share. The book tells the story of the Rainbow fish with its distinctive shiny scales. The moral of the story is about the value of being an individual. Click here to listen to The Rainbow Fish read by Ernest Borgnine. 

Russell the Mussel is a local favorite, written by Adele Conover, Richard Biggins, and Richard Neves. It chronicles the story of Jill, who befriends Russell the Mussel, and the scientist Dr. Richards.   Dr. Richards is a scientist who works to restore habitat and propagate Rabbitsfoot mussels to add to Crystal Creek.  Along the way the reader learns more about fishes, snails, mussels, frogs, hellbenders, insects, and crayfish that live in Crystal Creek. 

Russel the Mussel is available for download online. 

I highly recommend these books and hope you will read them.

These other popular books about fish should be added to your children’s fishy library: 

    One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

    Curious George at the Aquarium by H. A. Rey, Margaret Rey, and R. P. Anderson

    Swimmy by Leo Lionni

    Splish, Splash! by Sarah Weeks and Ashley Wolff

    McElligot’s Pool by Dr. Seuss

    Fish Is Fish by Leo Lionni

    Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

    Big Al by Andrew Clements and Yoshi

    A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer and P. D. Eastman

    Sea Creatures Pop-up: Squirmy, Scary Fish Face- to-Face 

          by Sally Hewitt and Chris Gilvan-Cartwright

    Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

Please comment and share your favorites!

Grandson, Nolan, outdoors looking at the fish.  Photo by Maggie Turner. 

Read aloud and kids will ask for more.  Take a kid fishing, but be ready to read to a child.