Barnacle Is Bored

by Jonathan Fenske

Barnacle is bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Barnacle is stuck on the underside of a pier, wishing he had something to do. Every day is exactly the same. The tide comes in and Barnacle gets wet. The tide goes out and Barnacle dries off. Boring! Barnacle wants something EXCITING to happen. Then a colorful fish swims by. Barnacle bets the fish doesn't have a boring life. In the end, it turns out exciting isn't always better. . . This picture book is an irreverent and playful answer to any child's declaration of boredom!

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Jonathan Fenske is the author and illustrator of the leveled readers Woodward and McTwee, Love Is in the Air, Guppy Up!, and A Pig, a Fox, and a Box, which was a 2016 Geisel Honor book. He is also the author of two picture books, Barnacle Is Bored and its follow-up, Plankton Is Pushy. Jonathan lives in South Carolina with his family.

Reviews

[Michele Knott]

I really need to add a sarcastic books shelf because I love that moment when you laugh out loud and realize what just happened. This is one of those books.

[Melki]

Barnacle is tired of hanging around the dock (literally) all day and night. He yearns to break free, to travel the ocean, and have interesting encounters with other fish.

Gulp!

Eh, maybe not.



Kids should get a howl out of this one!

[Kayla Edwards]

This was adorable and fun. Nothing too serious, just kind of lighthearted with a funny ending. Would be great for a quick read aloud!

[Stephanie Tournas]

The life of a barnacle, reduced to picture book length: the highs, the lows, etc. Quite funny. Might be the only picture book about a barnacle that I have ever read.

[Maria]

I read this book 5 times and busted up laughing every time. Sadistic barnacle. I am still laughing.

[Tasha]

Hanging off of the bottom of a dock is not the most exciting life. Barnacle has times of day when he is cold and wet and other times when he is dry and hot. The tide comes in and out, the waves roll in, the sun goes up and goes down. Barnacle is particularly jealous of the merry life of a polka-dotted little fish nearby. He knows that the fish has to have a lot more fun than Barnacle does. He must go diving with dolphins and frolic with other fish. Just as Barnacle is completing his fantasies about how much better the little fish’s life is than his own, an eel comes along. Gulp!

Put this down as another rather dark picture book that I adore. I must admit to having a type and this one is particularly pleasing with Barnacle being entirely jealous of what another fish has that he does not. It’s an emotion that children will relate to readily. The text is very brief and fast-moving. Barnacle’s voice is a pleasure to read aloud, from his slow tones of boredom through to the joys of being a fish and all the way to the end when he realizes what he actually has going for him.

The illustrations are very appealing and have the feel of a cartoon. Done in flat colors, they play up the facial expressions of Barnacle and the other fish to good effect. The looks of boredom are particularly clear and take it so far that it’s humorous. The page turns are nicely done as well, adding to the theater of the book.

Perfect for the boredom of summer days, this seaside book will surely refresh or at any rate give everyone a good jump at the end. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Mary]

Barnacle is bored with being stuck to the bottom of a pier and envies a colorful fish's active life. A playful story about perspective and will be appreciated by readers who enjoy a splash of dark humor in their picture books.

[Carrie Gelson]

Hilarious. The perfect PB read aloud for older students (although little ones will love it too)

[Jon Nakapalau]

Hanging around all day...tide rolls in and out...stuck in the same place - Barnacle may find that boring is not all that bad.

[Sunah Chung]

There is a Barnacle who is stuck on the underneath of a pier, complaining why he is so bored. The illustrations maximize his boredom by representing his facial expressions as well as his gestures. For instance, when the tide comes in, his body moves involuntarily, letting him feel wet and cold. And he experiences the tides—low tide and high tide—every day. Thus, he is jealous of a little polka-dotted fish underneath the sea because he can have fun by diving with dolphins and playing with plankton. The illustrations shows the Barnacle within a small bubble frame on the corner of the every page, and it represents how the Barnacle feels about all the excitement of the fish. But, he witnesses a large eel swallows the fish. By the illustrator magnifying Barnacle's look, a reader can see his fear of the wildness now. The story line and illustrations are simple, but they are enough to deliver the messages and moods of the character.

[Margaret]

It's not done very often. When it is done, it's a rip-roaring success. If it's been memorable, you would think it would become standard practice. Call it intuition of a lifelong reader but reading a book aloud to a group of students for the first time without reading it first yourself, can be and has been pure magic.

There are those books when you first gaze at the dust jacket and book case, it's as if they are speaking to you. If you are like me, you've learned to listen. One look at Barnacle Is BORED (Scholastic Press, May 10, 2016) written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske and you can hear the laughter of readers and listeners building in the background, softly at first and then bursting forth loud and long.

My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Katie]

Cute story about Barnacle who is bored. Every day is the same (he describes them). Then along comes a polka-dotted fish. Barnacle imagines all the fun thing that fish gets to do with all the other fish in the ocean. Until another, bigger fish swims along looking hungry. We do acutally see what happens to the other fish (the barnacle covers his eyes), but on the back inside cover the is an illustration of the bigger fish, with the polka dotted guy in his stomach. Suddenly the barnacle is not bored! Cute!

Great story for children old enough to have experienced boredom, and understand the concept of not taking something for granted/seeing that one experience might not be the best but it is better than being eaten. The illustrations are large enough to share with a large crowd. A quick read that will delight everyone around.

[Samantha]

Barnacle is tired of being stuck to the under side of a pier and imagines all the fun a polka-dotted fish must have until a surprise ending reveals that the cute little fish isn't always having fun.

Put this on the shelf right next to I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry. Good humorous read aloud for PreK-2.

[Ryan]

Adult humor for a little kid. The perfect story of a barnacle who is stuck in the same place all the time, and is board. He wants to live like the fish that swims by, until he realizes some of the fishes downsides. Great humor put forth by the illustrations, in a simple story, that will be a quick bedtime read.

[Samantha]

LOL! There is nothing better than a sadistically bored barnacle with not enough appreciation to go around. This book just keeps getting funnier the more you read it, and for storytimes, the parents always end up giggling with me! XD

[Christine Grant]

Simple book about the life of a barnacle. You have to really connect with the barnacle before attempting this book at Story Time or you will lose your audience. Attractive illustrations--suitable for toddlers and preschool children.

[Viviane Elbee]

This is a quick read, great for short story times.

It also has an unexpected, dark humor ending. This book is both funny and strange at the same time.

It can be used to spark discussion about boredom and whether or not excitement is better.

[Allison]

This book just appeared on my desk a while ago... And it was hilarious.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

Cybils nominee for best fiction picture book. More later.

[Maija]

Ah, the grass is always greener on the other side...

[Amanda B]

Funny, plus contains lots of opposites and alliteration which would make for a little educational side discussion while reading aloud.

[Mandy Robek]

One may not think or complain about being bored again - change can be drastic.

[Rian *fire and books*]

Hehe. The ending. Hehe. Apparently I'm a fan of these dark endings.

[Jill]

Cute book, but I read "Plankton is Pushy" first so the ending seemed kind of like a repeat to me and I didn't actually take it to any of my camps to read, but you could do either or for storytime.

[Julie]

Sometimes being bored isn't so bad - a good choice for kids who always say, "Im bored!"

[Jeimy]

Sometimes you need a little perspective.

[Justin Langlois]

The life of a barnacle couldn't be anything other than boring. But then again...perhaps it's a safer existence than some of the other sea creatures. Quick and funny. Enjoy!

[Michelle]

Although short and ending a little limp, the book was cute and gets to the point of getting over being bored.

[Alyssa]

I'm just not a fan of books where characters get eaten.

[Khari]

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did the others by this author. "Plankton is Pushy" is just awesome and the Fox and Box series is also quite good.

This one is funny and very apt for children. The wording is at the perfect level for kids, as is the narrative structure. The building up of excitement and anticipation for the climactic scene has wonderful pacing and it even has a good moral: don't complain, someone else has it worse. :D

That being said, I didn't enjoy it as much. It was good, but it wasn't awesome. I wouldn't rave out this book to other people.

Story: Ironic Narrative
Art: Streamlined
Price: $14.99