I Won a What?

by Audrey Vernick, Robert Neubecker (Illustrator)

The hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy who tries to win a goldfish and winds up with FAR more than he bargained for. Fans of Sparky will flip for this whale of a tale!

I have to win this goldfish.

My parents won’t let me have anything fluffy. Or shaggy. Or feathery. Or that eats mice.

But finally, tonight, they say I can keep anything I win at the goldfish booth.

And I win!

Just not a goldfish.

I win…

Nuncio?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Storytime, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Audrey Vernick is the author of books for young readers.

Forthcoming titles:

When I Redraw the World, illustrated by Heather Fox

Homesick, written with Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Daniel Miyares


www.audreyvernick.com

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom and dad won't let him have a fluffy, shaggy or feathery pet, but they promised the boy he could keep anything him wins at the goldfish booth. That's why the boy is so excited when he finally holed the ball. He won the goldfish! But actually, he didn't win the goldfish, he won Nuncio, the whale. Now the boy has the hard job of persuade his parents about the advantages of having a whale.

Funny story with lovely illustrations. Great for a reading aloud time, to make voices and exaggerate expressions.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big changes are in store for a family when the son wins a whale at the carnival goldfish booth.



A cute premise, but I was tired of it by the end of the book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

So... I usually don't put my picture book reads on there? But I LOVE THIS BOOK AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW ABOUT IT. I have, in fact, set one of the last pages as my desktop background so that I can look at it every day. It's going to be a new gift staple.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always love Neubecker's art and the concept is cute. I just wish that children's book creators would work a little harder at making these crazy concepts a little more realistic. I mean, obviously the pool is too small and they just throw away the line "We take Nuncio to the ocean for a swim" like the family has the means to move a whale from the suburbs to the ocean. I know I'm being nitpicky but you would never see this kind of sloppy storytelling get published this often in teen or adult fiction. I think it's insulting to kids, who very much have the capacity to understand basic concepts of physics. It's one thing to have an interesting concept, and this book has that. But often the difference between mediocre and great literature is how that concept is developed and here it's not developed at all except to increase the ridiculousness of the concept (which actually ends up discrediting it unintentionally).

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about ups and downs of having a whale as a pet. The relationship between the main character and his parents was realistic and unusual for children's books. The well-written text feels like an Audrey Vernick book, but the language is more straightforward than many of her others. The story is mostly just sweet, not particularly surprising. But it has a cute" button" ending and lively, colorful, expressive illustrations.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy is determined to win a goldfish at the carnival since his parents are very practical and don’t want anything fluffy, shaggy, feathery or anything that eats mice. But they are at a GoFish booth and the boy’s parents have said he can keep what he wins at the goldfish booth. The boy has one more chance at winning. HE WINS! But the guy running the booth says he didn’t win a goldfish. “You won Nuncio!” Nuncio, it turns out, is bigger than a goldfish.

For Full Review:

http://www.picturebooksleuth.com/2018...

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy is eager to win something at the fair. His parents won't let him have a pet, until he wants to win a goldfish. They tell him he can have whatever he wins in that booth - which is full of goldfish in bowls. When he wins - it's not a goldfish! It's much bigger than that!
Fun story and illustrations.

[Laura Hodgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun book. You have to set aside the impracticality of winning a whale at a carnival and keeping it in your swimming pool but what a pet!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boys tries to win a goldfish at the fair, but he wins something a lot more.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun!

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whimsical, loving, and ridiculous in the best sense :>)

[Claire Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a book about thinking before you get something or do something. For example, the boy in this book wanted a goldfish and he didn't think, so instead he got a whale.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun one. Watch what your promise, parents !

[Lake Shore Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like that the whale wasn't set free into the wild at the end.

[Vickiw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using for a Pet storytime.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpected, and a little silly, but cute.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I Won a What? by Audrey Vernick is a fun story about a boy who wants a pet but his parents say no that is until he thinks he won a goldfish at the carnival. Instead he won Nuncio the whale. The boy learns how to care for his whale and make him an integral part of the family. As I said…cute and fun!

I personally have always loved picture books because images bring the story to life. Neubecker has done that with this book! I was astounded at the little details, like parents’ frustrations or the whale eating and there being leftovers in the pool. It’s these small details that my son picks out, asks questions about and while he is still learning to recognize words and read on his own, the pictures help him tell the story. I loved this because at five my son picks up this book and “reads” it to me….it’s possible he may already have it memorized. It’s become a quick favorite of ours!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy is determined to win a goldfish at the fair since his parents have promised that he can keep whatever he wins. He's desperate for a pet, but as it turns out, the parents have miscalculated, and he brings home a whale. While the boy bonds with Nuncio and enjoys playing with him in the family's pool, his parents aren't quite as enamored with the whale. When it looks as though they are fed up with the inconveniences caused by Nuncio, the boy puts the whale to work, and they change their minds. The ending is adorable, representing exactly how I always imagine my cats and dog must feel about me. After all, who "owns" whom is something that is debatable. The bright, color-drenched illustrations were created with a pencil and an Apple computer. Filled with absurd humor, this picture book might be good to share with families contemplating adding a pet or two to their household. After all, animal ownership means being responsible for that animal.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh. With all the focus on orcas, of late, I was expecting a conservationist message. But this is just a silly little book, and that's fine.

The first punchline is fantastic. Kid tries to win a goldfish, and gets the grand prize: a whale. Through the rest of the book, we see his parents mild irritation ad they feed the whale, clean its pool, and deal with its various big-nesses. And, of course, the child is just excited to have a pet, no matter if it's a whale or a guppy. It takes a bit of work to win the parents around, but we get a happy ending, with another cute punchline.

The art is...okay. Nothing that would even be considered for a Caldecott, but it's consistent, and does a good job of conveying emotions and plot.

I don't see this book having a lot of repeat value for most kids, however. Certainly, some will be blown away, but most won't really gravitate to the story. I'd say check out from the library, first, and see how they react before a purchase.

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tall tale reminds us that there is a perfect pet for everyone. Told in the first person, an African American boy is thrilled when his parents tell him that he can keep anything he wins at the goldfish booth. Only instead of a little fish, he wins Nuncio, a whale! Unwilling to break their promise, his parents let him bring Nuncio home on a trial basis. There are many challenges to having an enormous pet. For instance, Nuncio needs a giant pool and eats copious quantities of seafood. Despite the challenges, boy and whale form an affectionate bond. When the boy’s parents decide this isn’t working out, boy and whale come up with a solution together. Though Nuncio fills up most of any pages he’s on, illustrator Neubecker somehow still manages to make him look adorable.

[Alesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being told by his "practical" parents that he can't have a fluffy, feathery, or shaggy pet, a young boy is determined to win a prize at the goldfish booth at the fair. When the announcer declares him a winner, the boy is very excited to bring home Nuncio, but there's a problem. Nunico isn't a goldfish! Keeping their word, his parents agree that he can keep his prize pet on a trial basis.

At first, the family struggles a bit with the care of their new addition, but they work together and eventually figure it all out.

This is a cute, silly story with a diverse cast of characters. Black or brown boys will especially enjoy seeing a character that looks like them as the star of this whale of a tale!

[Kristy Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my 3 year old class this week, who all thought the idea of winning a whale was super hilarious! Before reading a book, we played a game. Each student tried to throw a ball into a box. They got as many tries as they needed (no one needed more than 3!) and when they were successful, they each "won" a sticker. It was the perfect intro to reading this cute story about a boy who wins a very unexpected and large prize. My 3 year olds had fun imagining different prizes that might leave the winner scrambling to make room and provide adequate care. They also enjoyed discussing other ways that a large animal might be helpful around the house.

[Maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Kids - and their parents/caregivers - will love this funny story of a boy and his unexpected carnival prize - a brand new whale. The illustrations have an almost comic book style to them that well matches the text. The full-page illustration style also makes this a great choice for storytimes. Older kids should get a kick out of the story just as much as their younger siblings and the text allows for a librarian to perform, sing, etc. to enrich their storytime with this choice.

[Liz Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.. I think that the kids enjoyed this one. I had a hard time accepting that the whale was happy in that swimming pool. I wanted to just go along with it, but it just didn't happen for me with this one. There was also one disconnected moment for me when the dad said that it just wasn't working out--but the story just continued on telling why the whale was so great. I felt like I missed something there.

I do wonder why the author chose the name Nuncio. What does it mean?

Would be fun to imagine a different kind of pet and what would be great about that pet!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a boy’s parents give him permission to try his luck at the carnival’s goldfish booth, he wins the biggest prize of all - A Whale! Good thing they have a huge swimming pool to put him in. Although improbable and not environmentally appropriate, this story of a friendship between a whale and a boy is hilarious and sweet. I fun read, reminding me of Danny and the Dinosaur. Suspend disbelief and buy this book!

Cross posted to: http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect storytime book for the preschool and school-age. Same twist of a different kind of creature than your normal pet (eg. dinosaurs as cats and dogs). But even if it's "been done before," this is very fun.

11/1/16-11/3/16 Read this for Elementary school visits. Read it in 2 4th grade classes and a 2nd grade. One of the 4th grade classes loved it, but the other was too literal of a group and didn't seem to grasp the humor. 2nd grade liked it, but they were chatty!

5/3/17 Used in O theme (for Ocean). They liked it. One kids loved the idea of a whale for a pet. And they really loved the ending.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little boy in this story has finally gotten his parents to agree that if he can win a goldfish then he can keep it. But when he does win, it isn't a goldfish after all but a much bigger surprise. Will he be able to take care of his new pet or has he bitten off more than either he or his parents can chew? Sweet, funny story.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy is desperate for a pet and his parents are fair enough to keep their deal to allow him to keep what he wins at the goldfish booth at the carnival, even though his prize is a whale!

Life with a whale is humorous but workable with a whale and reads similarly to the Clifford books. Pencil and digital illustrations. PreK-2.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kids that I read stories to in the library might be little but they would definitely be questioning LOTS of ideas in this book, just as I am. Kids are smart and ideas in the books we share with them either need to be completely far-fetched or at least somewhat realistic, and this (unfortunately) is neither. Cute illustrations, though. :-)

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I guess I would have learned to like a goldfish. But I think maybe I was meant to love a whale." An adorable book about a child and their first pet. This book will be good for parents to explore the responsibility of a pet with their child.