Dear Fish

by Chris Gall

What happens when the creatures of the sea take Peter Alan up on his offer? Something fishy, of course At first, their visit is all fun and games, but then, things really start to get out of hand? Watch out for a bucking bull shark at the rodeo, the invasion of a slimy school of fish, and many other playful pictorial puns hidden in these striking, surrealistic illustrations. An endpaper identifying over 30 species of fish appearing in the book is an educational bonus. Here is a fantastic flight of fancy that every child will savor, with a subtle Be careful what you wish for

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Animals, Adventure

36 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2006

About the author

Chris Gall has been drawing pictures for as long as he can remember. When he was caught doodling on his desk in second grade, his teacher suggested that he might become an artist some day, then made him clean all the desks in the classroom. In seventh grade, Chris won a Read Magazine Young Writers Award, and that inspired him to create stories to go with his art. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Chris became an award-winning, internationally recognized illustrator, and his artwork has been shown in almost every publication in America, including Time, Newsweek, People, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

In 2004, his first picture book, America the Beautiful, became a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, and his career in children’s publishing began. Since then he has authored and/or illustrated 16 more books, including the acclaimed Dinotrux, a 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s book; Revenge of the Dinotrux; Awesome Dawson; Substitute Creacher; Dog Vs. Cat and The Littlest Train. For grownups, he also illustrated and designed the PDT Cocktail Book, the 2012 Best New Cocktail Book, awarded by Tales of the Cocktail.

Chris has also worked as an adjunct professor of art at the University of Arizona and spent four years as a professional stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where in his spare time he works as a volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (Pima County Search and Rescue).

In August of 2015, after 5 years of development, Dreamworks Animation brought Dinotrux to Netflix as an animated television show for children.

Reviews

[Skylar Burris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange and creative. Amazing illustrations. Note: I've upped it to five stars since this is the third time my daughter has wanted to check it out, and I realize now it stands up quite well to repeat readings.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first-grader son learned about fish this week in his science class. After that, he checked out this book about fish. This book is both weird and wonderful -- from the writing to the illustrations.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We just checked out this book from the library, and it reminds me of the style of David Wiesner. It's a children's book- the kids liked it and I found it to be fairly clever.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting book. It was really funny to me how all the sea creatures were "popping" up in random places on earth. I could only imagine how awful it must of smelt with all of those sea creatures everywhere. I could possibly see some of the words highlighted in the book being used as sight words to enhance the children's vocabulary and comprehension skills

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoyed reading this humorous tale. It was absurd, in an Art-Deco-meets-David Wiesner kind of way and our girls enjoyed looking at the many interesting and odd details in each picture.

13 September 2019 update: Picked up this book at the elementary school library where I am doing my first internship towards completion of my Master of Library and Information Science degree, specializing on school library media. I was pretty sure I'd read it before, but the illustrations are quite bizarre and entertaining and I thought it was worth a reread.

This time around I noticed a bit more about the book. I loved the end pages, where different fish are labeled and the reader is challenged to notice ten fish puns within the pictures of the book. I did not find all of the puns, but I did like the ones I saw.

The illustrations, created "by hand engraving clay-coated board and then digitizing with Adobe Illustrator for adjustments and color," are vibrantly colored with rich hues and are so strange, they really help to engage the reader.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids love to identify and share what they know, and this picture book gives them the opportunity to do just that. This book fosters an interactive environment, and for that I love this book. When the family drive under the sea, the action legitimizes the imagination and creativity that children themselves have.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit of a longer read, but full of very cool sea life illustrations. A young boy, Peter Alan, visits the beach and leaves a message in a bottle inviting fish to come visit him at home. The next day his entire town is overtaken with all kinds of sea creatures!

[Tiffiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun illustrations!

[Chad Seevers · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a fun book. its a bit silly, but that is what makes it fun.you could do an art project with this and make a picture that has a fish in it, like a fish instead of a baseball bat.

[Lauren Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing artwork

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day Peter wrote a note to fish and invited them to come visit. He didn't expect the reply he - and the town - received! Fun illustrations.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, surreal, etc., but just not my thing I guess. And I wish there were an answer key to the puns.

[Childrens Book Medium · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations for this book were done by hand engraving clay-coated board and then digitizing with Adobe Illustrator for adjustments and color.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully strange story with great illustrations to match. It definitely has a David Wiesner vibe to it. It also reminds me a bit of Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem.

[skcocnaH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very strange

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book but it may be a lot for my younger storytime crowd.

[Cynthia June Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Chris Van Allsburg or David Wisneski wanna-be.
Boy writes fish note; invites them to visit; mayhem ensues.
Octopus hairdresser; shark saw etc.
Detailed, engaging illustrations.

[DB in Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully amusing storytelling through words and art. Perfect for elementary ages. The artwork is integral to the story telling. Really lovely! 5*

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever illustrations

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This illustrations and the concept are great. My kids and I thought this book was funny.

[Lenae Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Fish is a book about a boy, Peter Alan, that went to the beach to with his family. He got curious like all little boy do and wondered about all of the creatures that lived in the sea. He came up with an idea to write a note to the fish and ask them to come visit his house and put the note in a bottle and throw it in the sea. As the day was coming to an end him and his family packed up and went home. To his surprise the next day basically all of the creatures in the ocean showed up in his town. There wasn't room for them and they didn't belong there. When he got home from school he decided it was time to write the fish another note and tell them they should probably live at their home in the ocean. Read the book to find out if the fish return to the ocean where they belong and what other events happen.

This book was a cute book. I really think boys would enjoy this book because they are always being curious and exploring.

This book could be used for a story time book in the afternoon before going or before recess. It doesn't really have a significant lesson but it's a cute book.

[Vicki Kier · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Peter Alan pushes a note into a bottle and throws it into the ocean, he has no idea what's in store for him--and his town--the next morning. Dear Fish is Chris Gall's fantastical tale of what might happen in a world where fish read and survive without water. Illustrations are striking digital enhancements of hand-engraved clay-coated board and include ten fish puns, which the author encourages readers to find in his fish-labeled endpapers. Although hand-lettered descriptions of sights and sounds accompanying fish encounters slow the reader's pace and roll nicely off the tongue, it is Gall's illustrations which will keep story-time listeners engaged. Quality, thick paper is appreciated given the expected popularity of this one in the hands of pre-readers. Recommended for ages 3-7.

[Andrew Schoenfelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some very well illustrated cartoon art that had real life properties to it. The pictures were very useful in helping describe the text and think children would have a good time noticing all the different species that would be in the ocean. The illustrator sometimes uses his images in the foreground and sometimes in the background. This gives children the opportunity of searching for the fish that was just talked about, sort of like where’s Waldo but with words. The children would also be able to interact with the funky words in the text which will hopefully engage them to want to read along with you.

[Deana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Gall’s work is simply breathtaking. His detailed, colorful and vibrant illustrations resemble wood cut prints. In “Dear Fish” the fun starts when Peter Alan spends a day at the seaside with his family. He has such a good time that he writes a letter to the fish inviting them to come visit him. They next morning the fish take him up on the offer. Soon there are fish everywhere they shouldn’t be. Kids will love the funny situations the fish end up in and adults will appreciate the tongue in cheek illustrations.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightfully surreal picture book in which fish float through the pages and get themselves into a wide variety of jams in the human world.

Veg*n parents note: As the fish visit the human world on their own volition, I doubt they would want to be placed on hot dog buns or eaten like popcorn, as they are during a baseball scene in this book. Also, a cowboy tries (unsuccessfully) to "bust" a great white shark.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a boy that puts a note in a bottle that says "Dear mr fish, you should come and visit me" and then of course Mr. Fish does and brings along his friends. Octupuses, sawfish and jellyfish cause alot of trouble in our world. Great for teaching the lesson- Be careful what you wish for!!!

[Mhm Storytelling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting. After a day at the beach, a boy invites the fish to visit his home. To his surprise, they do and they cause quite a stir. "Dear Fish" could work for themes such as ocean, writing a letter, or fish. As a red flag, the text in this story isn't very interesting and the pictures don't add very much.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

My six-year-old now has a favorite author, and it's Chris Gall. This isn't one of my favorite installments, but my kids have enjoyed the story of fish coming to visit the local town after Peter Alan sends them an invitation in a bottle. Grown-ups and older kids can amuse themselves trying to find the "fish puns" that make up part of the drawings--I haven't found all 10 yet!

[Terry]

Borrow, at least. Our nearly 5-year-0ld loved the story. The illustrations gave her a chance to identify and recognize lots of the sea creatures she has read about in other books.

[Margot Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this a 5 star rating, because I believe the 2 year old would rate it 5 stars. I found it less so, but the 2 year old had me read it to him 5000 times. He could not get enough of this book and can identify every kind of fish in it. Cute story.