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Poor Little Guy
With the cheeky twist of Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat and the graphic appeal of Mo Willems, Poor Little Guy will leave kids giggling…and begging for rereads!
What do you do when you're so tiny that the bigger ocean creatures think you might even taste adorable?
An itsy-bitsy, glasses-wearing fish is minding his own business when a playful (and hungry) octopus snatches him right up. Luckily, this poor little guy is not quite as innocent as he seems…and he has a BIG surprise up his sleeve!
Told with wit, a wink, and a delightfully dark sense of humor, Poor Little Guy celebrates the very smallest...and all of their giant victories. Hand this cute but mighty book to fans of Bob Shea and Dan Krall.
What do you do when you're so tiny that the bigger ocean creatures think you might even taste adorable?
An itsy-bitsy, glasses-wearing fish is minding his own business when a playful (and hungry) octopus snatches him right up. Luckily, this poor little guy is not quite as innocent as he seems…and he has a BIG surprise up his sleeve!
Told with wit, a wink, and a delightfully dark sense of humor, Poor Little Guy celebrates the very smallest...and all of their giant victories. Hand this cute but mighty book to fans of Bob Shea and Dan Krall.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2016
3 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
July 8, 2016
An innocent, nerdy, bespectacled pufferfish is just swimming along minding his own business totally unaware that a huge eye is watching his every move. A long tentacle sneaks up behind him and snatches him up.
"Hello, little guy! Let's play.../Catch of the Day!"
A big old bully octopus has entrapped the little guy. His captor thinks up multiple games to play with the poor ensnared little fish. He toys with him like a cat playing with a mouse. The octopus creates a maze, a cage, and then ..... a serving platter. How can poor little guy possibly escape becoming a delicacy, he's so itsy-bitsy compared to that huge predator? At just the right time when the octopus decides times up and he pops the little guy in his mouth - the tables are turned. How can that possibly be? Pufferfish unleashes his weapons of mass destruction and teaches his assailant a lesson he will never forget.
"Ohhh! You taste adorabl...." NOT!!!! Clever pufferfish wins the day! Hurray!!!!
As with all great picture books, Allen wraps up Poor Little Guy with a (dangerous) surprise that flows out, marvellously, onto the endpapers. Brilliant!
The story is told with wit and a delightfully dark sense of humour. Poor Little Guy inspires the reader. The message rings out that even the smallest of us can attain giant victories in life.
Allen's illustrations are magnificent, artistic and playful. Her hand- lettered text weaves itself into the illustrations, enriching the story. A limited palette is used perfectly, the shades of the ocean background shifting with the rise and fall of where the author is taking us in plot development. The characters are emotional and expressive, so much so that they could stand alone making this a powerful wordless picture book.
I loved the whole vibe of the book. It is a winner for sure and I highly recommend it.
"Hello, little guy! Let's play.../Catch of the Day!"
A big old bully octopus has entrapped the little guy. His captor thinks up multiple games to play with the poor ensnared little fish. He toys with him like a cat playing with a mouse. The octopus creates a maze, a cage, and then ..... a serving platter. How can poor little guy possibly escape becoming a delicacy, he's so itsy-bitsy compared to that huge predator? At just the right time when the octopus decides times up and he pops the little guy in his mouth - the tables are turned. How can that possibly be? Pufferfish unleashes his weapons of mass destruction and teaches his assailant a lesson he will never forget.
"Ohhh! You taste adorabl...." NOT!!!! Clever pufferfish wins the day! Hurray!!!!
As with all great picture books, Allen wraps up Poor Little Guy with a (dangerous) surprise that flows out, marvellously, onto the endpapers. Brilliant!
The story is told with wit and a delightfully dark sense of humour. Poor Little Guy inspires the reader. The message rings out that even the smallest of us can attain giant victories in life.
Allen's illustrations are magnificent, artistic and playful. Her hand- lettered text weaves itself into the illustrations, enriching the story. A limited palette is used perfectly, the shades of the ocean background shifting with the rise and fall of where the author is taking us in plot development. The characters are emotional and expressive, so much so that they could stand alone making this a powerful wordless picture book.
I loved the whole vibe of the book. It is a winner for sure and I highly recommend it.
June 13, 2016
Had the feel of I WANT MY HAT BACK. Hilarious twist at the end.
January 11, 2019
A cute little fish is swimming along, minding his own business in this new picture-book from animator Elanna Allen, only to be caught by an octopus and made to 'play' a variety of games. When the octopus concludes that the little fish might be just as tasty and he is adorable, he tries to swallow him, only to receive an unwelcome surprise in the form of spines in his tongue, when the little fish expands.
Although the artwork in Poor Little Guy is really quite charming, with an appealing color palette, a cute little yellow hero, and copious use of swirling lines to indicate the motion of the sea, I found the story itself rather... lacking. The text is minimal, and didn't really involve me in the story. Perhaps young children will be more interested in the fate of the little blowfish, but I was mostly indifferent, both to his danger and to his eventual triumph. There's nothing really wrong here, but somehow it just didn't work for me.
Although the artwork in Poor Little Guy is really quite charming, with an appealing color palette, a cute little yellow hero, and copious use of swirling lines to indicate the motion of the sea, I found the story itself rather... lacking. The text is minimal, and didn't really involve me in the story. Perhaps young children will be more interested in the fate of the little blowfish, but I was mostly indifferent, both to his danger and to his eventual triumph. There's nothing really wrong here, but somehow it just didn't work for me.
March 30, 2017
Loved that twist at the end, especially after all the poor little guy went through. Yet it makes me wonder if he is as impervious as the end papers show. School-age should enjoy the humor and appreciate the illustrations. Could work in storytime, though I may have to point out a couple of things in the illustrations. Lap-read and read-alone will enjoy as well.
2/15/17 Used as opener for F preschool theme. Kids and adults both loved this. Mostly it is all in the pictures and they enjoyed that. Great faces when the octopus eats the fish. Showed them the end page of the different ocean creatures trying to eat him. Very good.
2/15/17 Used as opener for F preschool theme. Kids and adults both loved this. Mostly it is all in the pictures and they enjoyed that. Great faces when the octopus eats the fish. Showed them the end page of the different ocean creatures trying to eat him. Very good.
July 7, 2016
Originally posted on www.yareads.com, reviewed by Nichole.
I read Poor Little Guy at story time, recently, and the kids LOVED it! We’ve recently discovered that we love wordless picture books because we can add our own words and make up our own story as we look at the pictures. The bold visuals in Poor Little Guy further enhanced the kids’ joy as they gasped and ooh’d and aah’d over the story that they created. This one was a big hit! I highly recommend it!
I read Poor Little Guy at story time, recently, and the kids LOVED it! We’ve recently discovered that we love wordless picture books because we can add our own words and make up our own story as we look at the pictures. The bold visuals in Poor Little Guy further enhanced the kids’ joy as they gasped and ooh’d and aah’d over the story that they created. This one was a big hit! I highly recommend it!
July 1, 2016
A lovely and unusual use of typeface in picture books, visually captivating, and a wonderful reversal!
October 20, 2016
Ocean animals
survival skills: resourcefulness; defense-mechanism
Clever little fish
Adult humor "Catch of the Day"
survival skills: resourcefulness; defense-mechanism
Clever little fish
Adult humor "Catch of the Day"
March 3, 2018
An octopus thinks this little fish is absolutely adorable. He plays with him and annoys him...and thinks maybe he will even taste adorable.
Such a fun story with a twist.
Such a fun story with a twist.
April 17, 2018
Picture Book
This book is about a little puffer fish who is bullied by an octopus, before finally getting revenge before the octopus tries to eat him. The pictures are cute, but the surprise twist at the end is a little dark. The fact that the octopus is trying to eat him is covered up by the cuteness of the pictures so you don’t really get an emotional attachment to the puffer fish or feel his actions are justified.
This book is about a little puffer fish who is bullied by an octopus, before finally getting revenge before the octopus tries to eat him. The pictures are cute, but the surprise twist at the end is a little dark. The fact that the octopus is trying to eat him is covered up by the cuteness of the pictures so you don’t really get an emotional attachment to the puffer fish or feel his actions are justified.
July 30, 2016
Those who root for the underdog will enjoy this clever picture book. A little fish is swimming along, minding his own business when he's grabbed and bullied by a much bigger animal. But the little fish has way more to him than meets the eye, and he's got a big surprise for his tormentor! Vibrant, digitally colored illustrations go a long way to help tell this story.
September 17, 2016
A little fish gets pushed around by an octopus, but the little fish has a big surprise defense mechanism.
Pencil and ink illustrations were finished digitally and include the typeface in the artwork such that each line of the story is as artistic as a beautifully designed sign or print.
PreK-2.
Pencil and ink illustrations were finished digitally and include the typeface in the artwork such that each line of the story is as artistic as a beautifully designed sign or print.
PreK-2.
July 1, 2016
LOL book - this one will be so fun to read out loud and see reactions!
February 11, 2016
This is wonderful! Incredible illustrations and a magnificent surprise.
June 2, 2016
Don't mess with David, Goliath. You just might get your comeuppance.
June 23, 2016
Cuuuuute
July 15, 2016
Would make a fun read for Bookaday in the classroom.
July 7, 2018
The surprise ending redeems this picture book, but that octopus is quite a bully.
July 30, 2018
Not what I expected at all!
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
I totally thought this book would be about a little fish that gets picked on or something and everyone feels sorry for him hence the title "Poor Little Guy", but it was not about that at all! The little fish is actually a puffer fish and when someone tries to eat the puffer fish it puffs up and leaves needles in the animal's mouth as defending itself. So in the story this octopus kept bothering the puffer fish, calling it cute and wanting to play with the puffer fish, and then tries to eat the puffer fish, but it puffs up, leaves needles in the octopus's mouth, and swims away. The very last page shows a whole page of illustrations of various animals trying to eat the puffer fish, but the puffer fish puffs up in their mouth and now the animal can't eat the puffer fish. I thought the illustration page was really cute. I also really enjoyed how the puffer fish had glasses. So cute!
Overall, I feel like the story was too short. It didn't have many words and I would have liked a longer better story, but the illustrations are really lovely. I think children might enjoy this, especially if you read it out loud and react to the story with sound effects and ask the kids questions about it.
In reality the puffer fish is really poisonous and tastes not very good to the other animals and it is extremely lethal to humans.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
I totally thought this book would be about a little fish that gets picked on or something and everyone feels sorry for him hence the title "Poor Little Guy", but it was not about that at all! The little fish is actually a puffer fish and when someone tries to eat the puffer fish it puffs up and leaves needles in the animal's mouth as defending itself. So in the story this octopus kept bothering the puffer fish, calling it cute and wanting to play with the puffer fish, and then tries to eat the puffer fish, but it puffs up, leaves needles in the octopus's mouth, and swims away. The very last page shows a whole page of illustrations of various animals trying to eat the puffer fish, but the puffer fish puffs up in their mouth and now the animal can't eat the puffer fish. I thought the illustration page was really cute. I also really enjoyed how the puffer fish had glasses. So cute!
Overall, I feel like the story was too short. It didn't have many words and I would have liked a longer better story, but the illustrations are really lovely. I think children might enjoy this, especially if you read it out loud and react to the story with sound effects and ask the kids questions about it.
In reality the puffer fish is really poisonous and tastes not very good to the other animals and it is extremely lethal to humans.
January 1, 2017
Allen, Elanna. Poor Little Guy, PICTURE BOOK. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016. $16.99.
One tiny little blowfish is always being stalked by the bigger fish in the ocean. When one octopus plays game after game with him, threatening to make him a meal, the tiny blowfish begins to get angry and finally blows up his tiny, spiky body. The octopus lets him swim away while he tends to his sore tongue. The blowfish goes along until he comes to his next adversary… a shark.
The cover of this book is so inviting. Really, the graphics throughout are the best part of the book. The beginning of the story is wordless and you can really feel the waves and currents of the ocean. My only complaint is that it’s not like the little fish outsmarted the bigger ones. He just hurts them. And I get it, that’s a blowfish’s defense mechanism, but I think that showing that a little fish with big predators could have come out of things in a more witty way would have been much more satisfying for a children’s book. It would have gotten a higher rating from me.
EL (K-3), EL- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
One tiny little blowfish is always being stalked by the bigger fish in the ocean. When one octopus plays game after game with him, threatening to make him a meal, the tiny blowfish begins to get angry and finally blows up his tiny, spiky body. The octopus lets him swim away while he tends to his sore tongue. The blowfish goes along until he comes to his next adversary… a shark.
The cover of this book is so inviting. Really, the graphics throughout are the best part of the book. The beginning of the story is wordless and you can really feel the waves and currents of the ocean. My only complaint is that it’s not like the little fish outsmarted the bigger ones. He just hurts them. And I get it, that’s a blowfish’s defense mechanism, but I think that showing that a little fish with big predators could have come out of things in a more witty way would have been much more satisfying for a children’s book. It would have gotten a higher rating from me.
EL (K-3), EL- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
May 17, 2025
The title “Poor Little Guy” riffs on the common expression of sympathy and pity for someone—in this case a puffer fish captured as would-be prey by an octopus and a shark—caught in an unfortunate or distressful situation and in need of help or support. The twist of this story is that the little guy gets the last laugh and the bullies get a mouthful of spines. So who’s the bully now? The moral ambiguity of this story seems a bit fishy. The washed-out grays and greens of the illustrations emphasize the bright yellow of the puffer fish, and the fish’s spectacles indicate who humans should root for in this food chain, but what do the puffer’s spines symbolize? Being mean to meanies? Being prickly as a means of defense? Hard to say after reading this strange fish tale.
January 16, 2023
The blurb is correct.
I finished this book about five minutes ago and am still snickering about it.
Elanna Allen is one of the authors who is due immense respect. It's amazing how she can turn out a full blown narrative using such few words. It's complete with humor and a good lesson, things aren't always as they seem, and it's best not to judge someone by what they look like.
I also expect that more than one parent out there has turned this into a full on act-out-the-story book. I can see children shrieking with laughter and demanding to play over and over and over.
I enjoyed it.
Story: Clever
Art: Very cute
Price: $16.99
I finished this book about five minutes ago and am still snickering about it.
Elanna Allen is one of the authors who is due immense respect. It's amazing how she can turn out a full blown narrative using such few words. It's complete with humor and a good lesson, things aren't always as they seem, and it's best not to judge someone by what they look like.
I also expect that more than one parent out there has turned this into a full on act-out-the-story book. I can see children shrieking with laughter and demanding to play over and over and over.
I enjoyed it.
Story: Clever
Art: Very cute
Price: $16.99
April 24, 2018
I swear that this lovely children's book was specially written for me. Perhaps that is why I empathized with Little Guy so much; being called adorable and cute when you are 29 years old feels super condescending and kills any ounce of sex appeal I manage to muster. It feels a little strange to bring that up in regard to a children's book, but I sincerely believe that I am a little girl trapped in a woman's body, attempting to navigate this scary, confusing world without a clue as to what I am doing. Anyway, beautiful artwork and lovely story by Elanna. I hope to read more from her.
November 12, 2018
It's a story that teaches kids not to judge something simply based on how small it is. Big [and often times dangerous] things can come in itty bitty packages.
The art is very simple and cute, the words flow around the page but they are easy enough for young readers to understand [even though in some sections its written in cursive, that might slow some parents down]. I thought it was cute, I especially loved that the puffer fish was my favorite color [yellow], it's a nice book to have for quick reads and some giggles.
The art is very simple and cute, the words flow around the page but they are easy enough for young readers to understand [even though in some sections its written in cursive, that might slow some parents down]. I thought it was cute, I especially loved that the puffer fish was my favorite color [yellow], it's a nice book to have for quick reads and some giggles.
February 13, 2021
A small fish is grabbed by an octopus who proceeds to play with him (although most of the play revolves around wordplay suggesting that the octopus wants to eat the fish, or involves the octopus entrapping the fish in its arms in various ways). When the octopus puts the little fish in its mouth, the octopus and the read is surprised to learn that the fish is actually a pufferfish! The octopus is left with a mouthful of pufferfish spines; the back of the book shows all the other animals that have unsuccessfully tried to eat the fish.
May 4, 2022
For a teeny, timid, glasses-wearing pufferfish, aquatic life is not easy. His main problem: he’s just too cute. He’s almost cute enough to eat, which is exactly what the bigger animals, like the octopus and shark, try to do. But while he might be small, he’s also mighty… and spiky when you make him mad enough. This picture book pairs a dreamy color palette with a witty message about making fishy foes your own size.
Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!
Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!
April 30, 2023
You are greeted by a tiny yellow fish and one big white eye on the cover as well as the beginning of the book. As a reader, we are tossed back and forth between nerves and relief as we read the pages. This book could be a great pair with something like Fortunately, Unfortunately, because the situation keeps changing itself. This book is also wonderful to show the perspective of size, importance, and deception. I could see younger kids wanting to read it over many times because of the humor and the little guy coming out on top.
January 19, 2017
OMG love!! Really, it's about the twist at the end, but I also give kudos for the large, clear illustrations, and expressive characters.
Octopus just wants to play--but, as those of us with smaller structures know, we are easily tossed around by the bigger kids when they begin to play rough like octopus. However, smaller fish (and folk) have their own skills and strengths, and octopus is about to find that out the hard way.
Octopus just wants to play--but, as those of us with smaller structures know, we are easily tossed around by the bigger kids when they begin to play rough like octopus. However, smaller fish (and folk) have their own skills and strengths, and octopus is about to find that out the hard way.
November 22, 2017
A glasses-wearing pufferfish is being followed by a great, white...octopus! The octopus wants to play. He suggests many games, all of which are disliked by the pufferfish. The octopus finds the little fish so adorable that he must taste him. But the moment he puts him in his mouth the pufferfish inflates himself leaving the octopus with painful needles in his mouth. A great twist to the end of fun storytime story.
August 27, 2019
Poor little fishy! So many bigger fish eyeing him up and they all look mean. Octopus likes to play with his food and entraps Poor Little Guy with his tentacles, making him play a series of games. When Octopus decides it is time to pop Poor Little Guy into his mouth for lunch, he gets a BIG SURPRISE.
An additional book or video on Puffer Fish would be wonderful. I know I was fascinated with them on my first and only deep sea fishing trip.
An additional book or video on Puffer Fish would be wonderful. I know I was fascinated with them on my first and only deep sea fishing trip.
October 15, 2017
Giant glasses on a tiny fish makes him look sweeet and vulnerable. So when a big octopus starts messing around with the poor guy--good natured joshing and yet, could be interpreted as bullying--it doesn't look like it'll go well. But the poor little guy isn't so vulnerable after all. Simple but evocative take on standing up for yourself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews