What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean

by Kirsten Pendreigh, Katie Melrose (illustrator)

Follow along with one little shellfish to discover cutting-edge, under-the-sea science!

Did you know that deep in the ocean, fish are loud? Scientists have recently discovered that fish and shellfish grunt and groan, crackle and cluck, and even burp and boop to communicate. They warn each other, woo each other, and welcome each other with all kinds of sounds, making the ocean quite noisy! This upbeat, rhyming nonfiction picture book explores underwater science in a unique way and is perfect for any school or home library.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Stem, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2025

About the author

Kirsten Pendreigh is a children’s author and poet from Vancouver.

Her books include: MAYBE A WHALE (a JLG Gold Standard and Horn Book Fanfare Book),
WHEN A TREE FALLS (a PW Starred Review), WHAT FISH ARE SAYING (a SLJ Starred Review) and LUNA'S GREEN PET (a Today Show best book pick).
Kirsten’s poems are found in Canadian literary magazines and anthologies including Best Canadian Poetry 2021. Kirsten is a former CBC and NPR journalist.

Reviews

[Jennifer Colvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This being a non-fiction book about the sounds found underwater is what struck my interest. I sat down with my 6 year old and we read through this adorable book that shares how the ocean isn't as quiet down below as we may think. With colorful pictures identifying fish and the sounds they make, my child couldn't help but read along with me. She'd read all the fish sounds as I read the story. The information at the end was pretty cool too. It described each fish's sound, that the book covers, and why and/or how they make the sound. My child was so delighted that they asked my to read it again, immediately. So, so cute!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Kids Team for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Gibeault · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating delight! With bouncy rhyming text, author Kirsten Pendreigh explains what it sounds like in the underwater world of the ocean. It’s loud and busy, full of grunts, groans, burps, and squeaks as fish and other creatures communicate with each other. The back matter explains more about the sounds of some of the different fish as well as how fish hear and how hydrophones are used to eavesdrop on the noise. Katie Melrose’s illustrations are bright, colorful, and accurate. I love the little snapping shrimp who appears on each spread snapping its claw. I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries as well as for kids who love animals and the sea.

[Sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ocean book was not only beyond adorable, but toddler approved. Engaging and educational. It's the perfect combination of fun, silly, and interactive. The artwork is also absolutely stunning. Having the soundwaves intertwined within the background really made the story of the fish talking and making different noises come to life. In the sea of books we have read together (pun intended), I can tell this one will be read over and over. You can tell their was a lot of thought put into every page of this book. From the desire to be as accurate in the information, down to even the page lay out. Wow, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author and illustrator.

[Birdie.Recommends · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juvenile Nonfiction | Ages 4+

Dive into the fascinating underwater world with What Fish Are Saying, a beautifully crafted picture book that introduces young readers to the strange and surprising sounds of the ocean.

From the moment you pick it up, the textured cover art draws you in like a seashell whispering secrets. Inside Kirsten Pendreigh’s engaging, onomatopoeia-rich text makes this an instant read-aloud favorite—encouraging little ones (and grown-ups!) to chirp, croak, and pop along with the fishy cast. It’s a book that practically begs to be read out loud.

Katie Melrose’s illustrations are a visual delight—vibrant, layered, and absolutely captivating. Each page is an oceanic feast, full of movement, color, and curious creatures that kids will love discovering again and again.

Both fun and educational, this book is sure to become a bookshelf staple for curious young minds. Whether you’re exploring animal communication, learning about marine life, or just looking for a joyful storytime pick, What Fish Are Saying delivers.

Thank you to the author, publisher & Goodreads for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Deena Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most creative, colorful, and fun children’s books I’ve read in a while! And so informative too!

Apparently fish in the sea are quite loud, and there is a wide variety of sounds to be heard.

I loved the rhythm of the story—a perfect read aloud book. I loved the illustrations—very vibrant and rich and whimsical. And I loved all of the information—presented in a fun and engaging way.

I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher. My review is honest and has not been solicited.

[Leslie Barnard Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This joyful book teaches young readers about all the ways fish and other ocean creatures make and use sound. With vibrant illustrations and lyrical text, this is a great STEM read aloud!

[Carrie Tillotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

With rhyming text, fun verbs, onomatopoeia, and an easy to repeat refrain, Kirsten Pendreigh has made a book that will enliven nonfiction storytimes with this fun read-aloud. Katie Melrose’s bright and colorful illustrations add to the fun! Readers will have fun learning fascinating and silly facts about how fish communicate underwater.

[Heather Stigall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rhyming picture book full of onomatopoeia introduces readers to the symphony of sounds beneath the ocean. The musicality of the words makes this book a great read-aloud, and the information shared in the text and accompanying back matter make it a great addition to a school, library, or home with kids curious about underwater creatures. Cheerful illustrations capture the rainbow of colors of an underwater reef, so much so that as I read, I felt like I was snorkeling right inside the book. Wonderful book all around!

[Ember Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Fish Are Saying is engaging, interactive, and full of answers to a question boring grown ups forget to ask. With an abundance of words that are wonderfully fun to repeat, children of any age will be hooked by this book.

The illustrations make the book feel like watching a cartoon, but also manage to be realistic enough to be able to clearly identify each type of fish. There are amazing resources in the back so that readers can learn more, and even hear the voices of the fish in real life.

What Fish Are Saying is a book children will want to read over and over again.

[Melissa Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun rhyming text, evocative of the diverse sounds created by fish and other ocean creatures below the waterline! Katie Melrose’s beautifully composed, colorful illustrations complement the text and help guide the reader through the ocean environment. This book is a great read-a-loud and kids will love repeating the sounds these ocean creatures make. For those that want to dive into the subject matter a little more, there’s a back matter section that includes more info about how and why fish make these sounds, as well as how scientists figure out what sounds they make.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming and educational book, though packed with little nuggets of information, makes a great read-aloud with all the alliteration and onamotopeic sound-effects.

As someone who has often wanted justice for animals who produce a much wider range of sounds than picture books would have you believe (bunnies, I see you!) I love the revelation that the ocean is so "noisy" and I think kids will too.

[Marylovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking down from above the sea it is tempting to think that all is quiet in the water below. This non-fiction children’s book explains how different fish and aquatic life sounds as heard by hydrophones placed by scientists to listen to. The illustrations are bright and engaging and the facts at the end of the story are interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebook kids for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Fish Are Saying is a wonderful mix of fun and informative. I even learned a few new things. My boys love all things fish and water, so this was a big hit. The rhyming helped keep them engaged and the illustrations were so pretty. There were so many great details captured and such a wide variety of underwater sea creatures featured.

eARC courtesy of Sourcebooks Kids

[Nora Nickum · Rating 5 out of 5]

An energetic, rollicking rhyming book about all the different--and surprising--sounds that fish and invertebrates make in the sea! We might think it's quiet underwater, but that's not the case--and animals have plenty of reasons to make sound down there. This is a fun read-aloud and the back matter provides the details.

[Deirdre Laide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great book! It is not only an amazing onomatopoeic pleasure to read aloud but is also brimming with fun fishy facts. The rhyming text allows for a jaunty read. The content is both humorous and factual. Such a gem of a book. As a teacher I'm always on the hunt for great nonfiction and I will definitely be adding this to my school library.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful rhyming picture book takes readers on an aquatic journey about the sounds underwater creatures make. Future marine scientists and anyone fascinated by fish will love learning from this unique book. Ideal for a younger picture book audience.

[Amethyst Maxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC. Wow the pictures were so vibrant but life like at the same time. My child and I both learned more about the sounds fish “say”.

[Laura H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this week book with awesome illustrations, will reread before I review.

[Charessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

What Fish Are Saying is a fun and simple, yet truly educational rhyming picture book that is sure to be a hit with story time! All the onomatopoeia and colorful illustrations will certainly engage even older readers as they learn what types of fish make what noises. Each page is jam-packed with tons of different species and we're treated to scientific information on how these fish make their noises and why.

The best part of the book (besides the beautiful illustrations)? There's more information in the back of the book that teachers especially can make use of for classroom use! There are more fish noise facts for select species, a blurb on what a hydrophone is, a diagram on fish biology that shows how they're able to make and hear these noises, and where to find even more information--including recordings of the very sounds that are mentioned in the book!

If you have a marine biology unit in your classroom for young kids, want a great book for an educational story time, or just want to impress someone, this is an ideal book for you!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Kirsten Pendreigh’s nonfiction picture book introduces readers to the world of marine animal communication. Thanks to scientists using hydrophones, we know what sounds these animals make.

Rhyming text and onomatopoeia galore name those sounds (grind, tick, rasp, rub) and how animals make them.

Artist Katie Melrose creates vibrant underwater scenes filled with colorful parrotfish, sea robins, and lobsters.

Back matter:
*What hydrophones hear
*Additional facts about some of the animals in the book
*Where to hear recordings of fish sounds

Overall, this picture book has fascinating information and is fun to read out loud. I think this is an excellent book for school libraries, classrooms, and home libraries.

Published by: Sourcebooks Explore
Publication date: June 03, 2025
Pages: 40
Ages: 4-8

Want to support the writer, artist, and many others who brought this book to life? Borrow and/or buy the book, ask your local bookstore/library to purchase copies, and share your review of the book online.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.bayviews.org/review/what-...
Conversational, rhyming text invites us along on a peaceful kayak journey to discover if fish also swim silently in the blue. Readers quickly learn – “Oh! No! It’s NOISY down below!” Cheerful, colorful, richly-patterned, digitally-manipulated illustrations feature a host of specific species and one, omnipresent, snapping shrimp. Humorous verse clues readers to the sounds made and, importantly, to the how and why of the noise. Rarely is a rollicking read-aloud full of so much onomatopoeia and so many delightful, scientific details simultaneously. Back matter includes a focus on the snapping shrimp’s cavitation, what hydrophones hear, where to hear recordings, fun noisemaker facts, and an important note on fish ears and why fish hear differently than humans. Sadly, the cavitation explanation misses the opportunity to include the relevant information to make sense of the rhyme that asserts snapping shrimp bubbles are “Hot as the SUN!”

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this book! My kid is always asking me what sound a fish makes underwater and I just answer with some bubbling noises but this book actually answers that question lol! It's a very good question and a great topic for a book. The book introduces kids to the sounds that fish and other sea creatures make, from grunts to clicks, all presented in a lively, rhyming format that keeps them engaged.

This is such a fun way to learn about the oceans! It's in a great engaging format and the illustrations are a great complement to the text by emphasizing the sounds using creative lettering, sound waves, and ripples. It brings the ocean to life in such a playful way.

This book is a great addition to any library, sparking curiosity about marine life and encouraging a love for science. It has quickly become one of our favorite ocean books.

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

In WHAT FISH ARE SAYING, the author and illustrator provide the reader with an unusual book. Few people have heard fish underwater, but with an instrument called a hydrophone, things have changed. People now are able to hear the many noises fish make. Kirsten Pendreigh manages to write a book, not only in rhyme, but one that uses onomatopoeic words to describe those sounds. We get the full cacophany in our oceans, from the scraping of crabs on the sand to the croaks, grinds, boops, moans, and groans of the other ocean creatures. In addition, we learn all about how they produce their diverse sounds. As an added bonus, children will be delighted to hear that some fish fart out their sounds (kids will be kids). The illustrations by Katie Melrose are colorful yet realistic where necessary. Highly recommended for ocean lovers, especially those who like rhymes.

[Louise Aamodt · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHO KNEW so much fish chatter was happening beneath the ocean waves? Not me, but I love this deep dive into a little-known biological phenomenon! I can't imagine how much the author must have had to research for this book. We learn the particular sound that an underwater creature makes such as clicking, barking, moaning, and squeaking, as well as why and how they make these sounds. Rhyming text makes everything kid-friendly, with enough variety in the meter to avoid becoming sing-songy. Rich back matter offers more learning for all ages, and vibrant illustrations add to the appeal. I could see using this in a classroom for both science and language development, or at home for those kids who absorb and share little-known facts. Definitely worth checking out!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this is a children's book, but yes, I loved it. I simply cannot consume enough information about animals and the environment around us. I never get tired of learning about it.

What Fish Are Saying teaches fun sound facts in a way that is easily understood by children. An added bonus is that the illustrations are stunning to look at. I can only imagine seeing the different areas of a child's brain lighting up as they take everything in.

Here's a little fun facts I learned in this book! Instead of ears, fish have ear "stones" called otoliths that vibrate when sound waves pass through them. One of the reasons sound is muffled underwater for humans is due to the sound waves bouncing off our bony skulls.

[Carrie Finison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book uses rhyme, humor, and wordplay to grab and keep readers' attention while informing them of the various sounds that fish and other creatures make underwater – only recently recognized and studied by scientists. I loved the fun language and onomatopoeia, and also that the author shared many of the reasons behind the sounds fish make - are they looking for food, or a mate? Warning friends about a predator? Using echolocation? Whatever the reason, the world under the waves can be downright noisy. Colorful illustrations help create a world readers will want to linger in and return to again and again.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this once with just my 8yo, read again with 8yo and 3yo, and then read AGAIN with just my 8yo. We really liked this one. I was expecting a little bit more of an educational non-fiction picture book (just judging off the cover) but it ended up being a sweet and fun, rhythmical story that taught us a few things along the way. Best suited for ages 3-6 but can be enjoyed by older kids as well.

Text flows smoothly with good cadence and rhyme and the illustrations are truly lovely! Loved the sound waves throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for the ARC! Definitely wouldn't mind purchasing a hardcover for our collection.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT FISH ARE SAYING: STRANGE SOUNDS IN THE OCEAN uses rhyming text to reveal the hidden secrets of sounds beneath the water’s surface. The text provides simple scientific explanations for how fish and other underseas creatures produce sounds. Onomatopoeia and great illustrations add to the content and make the book a great read aloud for a wide age range. Additional back matter provides further information about the hydrophones used to capture underwater sounds and fun facts about some of the sea creatures highlighted in the book. Definitely adding this one to our school’s media center shelves!

[Julie Winterbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful rhyming book demolishes the myth that there are no sounds beneath the surface of the ocean. On the contrary, its NOISY down below. Bonk! Croak! Pop! Fish make all kinds of marvelous sounds, which makes this book so much fun to read aloud. As you and your child enjoy all the sounds, you’ll learn how and why fish communicate—and how scientists record their incredibly varied sounds. Fun AND educational, this book will appeal to kids and adults who love nature and having fun with sound and rhyme. With excellent back matter that explains the science in a fun and accessible way. Highly recommed!

[Shan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It's pretty simple, but it definitely hits all of the marks. It has educational value (marine animal sounds), rhyming as a literary device, cute and colorful illustrations, etc. I will say that reading it went rather fast, but that makes sense for a book like this that is intended for little kids. One small critique that I have is the repetition. Even if it's relevant, I would stay away from repeating sounds/verbs, just to maintain the freshness of the whole book. Other than that small thing, though, I really liked this book!