Fish Feud!

Squidding Around #1

by Kevin Sherry

Squizzard is a little squid with a big personality. He loves telling jokes, scarfing sardines, and hanging with his best friend Toothy. But the thing he loves most is being in charge. When Squizzard makes up games, he is always the hero and Toothy is always the sidekick. He never listens or admits he's wrong, and one day he pushes Toothy too far. His bossiness causes a rift in their friendship the size of the Mariana trench! Can Squizzard convince Toothy to give him a second chance or is he doomed to be the loneliest kid at Deep Reef Elementary?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Juvenile, Comics, Middle Grade

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book about what it means to be a friend! Even if you are different you can still share common interests that will make friendship possible. This book may be of particular interest to parents who have a very small child who has problems making friends. It can help them understand that friendship is something we all have to work at.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these out of order, and definitely preferred the second one in the series more. Squizzard is just too much of a jerk in this one . . . though that is indeed the main plot - the little red squid learns how to not be so selfish, and how to become a better friend.

This is a likable graphic, sprinkled with both humor AND tidbits of undersea knowledge.

Highly recommended for younger readers.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good book. It was funny and was very pleasant to read, it was a very quick read

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from Scholastic, Inc. throughout Edelweiss+.
Book one in this series by Sherry. A squid (Squizzard) and a great white shark (Toothy) have been friends since they were little. Squizzard is bossy and dominates the friendship. After an issue in class, Toothy tells him how he feels and moves away from his friend. Squizzard learns some hard lessons from other classmates about how to be a better friend. He changes and Toothy becomes closer again. They each become better friends.
Simple text and brightly colored illustrations bring the story to life. Elementary readers will enjoy the humor throughout. Plus, they'll relate to the friendship and other school life issues.

[Wendy Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun graphic novel filled with friendship, puns, facts about sea life and brightly colored illustrations.

[Margaret]

As this year of years winds down, there are stacks of books to still be highlighted and one very large stack to be read before the 2021 releases are embraced. Books in a series are beloved by many a reader. We crave a return to characters we love. We desire to visit settings where we wish we could walk. We laugh at the silliness, we thrill at the adventures, and we sigh at the touching sweetness.

This year there was an abundance of series continuations and some promising new series beginnings (and one single title).

Friendship depicted through improbable pairings makes for refreshing reading. If this friendship is between beings residing under the sea, readers will enjoy the visit even more. Squidding Around Fish Feud! (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, September 1, 2020) written and illustrated by Kevin Sherry explores a watery world, its inhabitants, and the maintaining of a lasting friendship.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Bella]

Squizzard's self-centredness means he repeatedly takes advantage of his friend Toothy. Toothy stands up for himself, then stands up to some bullies who are bullying Squizzard. Squizzard learns that his behaviour was selfish and--once Squizzard acknowledges his bad behaviour and promises to do better--he and Toothy make up.

I love that bullying is portrayed as multi-faceted - the thuggery of the grade 5 bullies doesn't hurt Toothy, but Squizzard being repeatedly selfish and dismissive of him does. That can be a tricky thing for kids on both sides of the perspective to learn. This book handled it well.

My daughter and I discussed perspective - when Toothy stands up to the bullies he is drawn bigger, representing to us that he felt bigger when he protected his friends.

I would have loved to see some female and disabled representation.

Recommended for 5-9 year olds.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Fish Feud! by Kevin Sherry is the first in a new graphic novel series called Squidding Around. Here we meet Squizzard and his best friend Toothy in their school under the sea. The two friends are opposites, and their differences may prove to be too much in this story.

Final Thought: Teaching the value of friendship and how to work through a fight, Fish Feud! is sure to delight and engage newly independent readers.

You can see the full review at YA Books Central.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr. 2/3-4
Okay, this was a pretty fun graphic novel. I really like the layout and white space and pacing for this age group. I don't love all of the shapes of the sea creatures, but it is a funny story that develops the friendship between Shark and Squid. They are an odd couple, and the not always thinking Squid learns what his non thinking can do in a friendship. Good development of friendship with great puns. Kids would definitely enjoy, not only because it is a graphic novel, but because it is about the friendship issues they are experiencing. Plus, there are puns. Nice variety of panels.

Graphix / Scholastic

[Mary Hanna Wilson | Celebrate a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Squizzard has a big personality and his bossy, selfish behavior causes a fight with his best friend, Toothy. It takes him a little time, but he learns that being a friend means you don't always have things your way.

Honestly, Squizzard's behavior is slightly annoying to this adult reader, but the point is definitely made. I do like that he learns and improves himself by the end of this book. This book definitely opens up some good discussions about friendship and about bullying. I admit that I do hope Squizzard is a better-behaved squid in the rest of the series - HA!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute beginning chapter book style graphic novel. The illustrations are cute, there's tons of jokes and puns and lots of interesting facts about ocean life. But the best part is the character growth! Squizzard is a jerk to his friend Toothy but when Toothy finally decides to stand up for himself Squizzard (slowly) learns that he needs to be nicer to his friends and start thinking beyond himself.

Highly recommend.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squizzard, a squid, is the leader in his friendship with Toothy, a great white shark. When he ruins Toothy's project, Toothy stops being friends with him. Squizzard has to learn how to be a good friend to try and get his friend back. Includes facts about different underwater creatures. Squizzard actually seemed to learn his lesson. From the author/illustrator of I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean!

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute! Great messages about friendship and avoiding selfish behavior. I love that Sherry sprinkled real marine life facts throughout too. Sherry's cartoonish art style is incredibly appealing and will inspire young readers to try drawing the characters themselves. The show and tell theming will appeal to kids too.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Squizzard the squid isn’t being a very good friend to Toothy the great white shark. He is bossy and selfish, and sometimes just mean. When Toothy gets fed up, Squizzard must learn how to be a good friend to win Toothy back. Silly fun. Very colorful and with fun facts about ocean life thrown in (and some terrible jokes and puns).
91 pages.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squizzard the squid, and Toothy a great white shark have been friends forever, but after Squizzard hurts Toothy's feeling just one too many times, it puts a strain on their friendship. Life under the sea isn't easy when best friends are apart. What will Squizzard have do to rectify this issue, and restore the friendship?

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bright artwork is appealing. I liked how the shark stood up for himself when a friend was toxic. Also, I liked that the squid learned some boundaries. But this seemed like it's audience is far younger than my 5th graders.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, that was adorable! I really like the art, it’s fun and colorful. The text is easy to read and well-written. I enjoyed all the funny puns and the friendship. It was also nice to have facts about the different underwater creatures sprinkled throughout.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty cute beginning graphic novel all about friendship. Squizzard is bossy and selfish and has to learn to be a better friend. There are lots of facts about real underwater creatures but they feel a little awkwardly placed.

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for younger comic fans, and even educational! Another hit I predict!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, age appropriate, with good marine information.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Toothy gets fed up with his best friend's selfishness, he breaks away. Now class clown Squizzard must find a way to make up for his thoughtlessness and get his friend back. Cute and punny.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute and a nice intro to graphic novels. Loved the real ocean facts mentioned through the book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about friendship and selfishness. Jokes, puns, and facts about marine life peppered throughout. A fun choice for a first graphic novel.

[Karen Hsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as funny or tightly told as Narwhal and Jelly, but still just as silly. The 7yo and 4yo enjoyed it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice friendship story that kept me engaged, and I also really liked the way a little bit of factual information was sprinkled in, without being at all heavy handed.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, great "palate cleanser" book for 2/3 grade, challenge book for 1st.

[Stephanie Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters gave me slight SpongeBob vibes. Cute book about respecting your friends

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Brightly colored graphic novel with plenty of humor for a light and fun story about friendship. Kids will no doubt relate to the storyline.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Sherry’s adorable ocean animals translate perfectly to beginning reader graphic novels. His sense of humor is pitch-perfect for first and second grade.