The Fish Who Could Wish

by John Bush, Korky Paul (Illustrator)

In the deep blue sea,
In the deep of the blue,
Swam a fish who could wish,
And each wish would come true.

He wished for a castle,
He wished for a car,
But one day he wished
Just a little too far...

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Poetry, Childrens, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Clouds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few months ago my mother-in-law dropped off a huge box of kids books for Fin. My wife's youngest sibling is 12 years her junior, so while some of these books have been in the family since my wife was herself a wee nipper, many others are more modern - it's a pretty great spread of stuff.

There's not much mystery to this one - this title pretty much gives it away. This is a story about a fish who can wish. He wishes all kinds of crazy things, and the pictures to accompany those wishes are pretty cool - the art is more detailed than most picture books I've met so far, which I liked - and the wishes are told in an easy to read-aloud, rhyming story.

And then, one day, the magic fish wishes he was just like a normal fish. And that was the last wish he ever did wish. The end. It's not exactly a tale with a beginning, a middle, and end. He just wishes a series of funny wishes, with no consequences, and then the wishing abruptly stops forever. It's a kind of melancholy moral with little room for a sequel.

I leave you with this picture, because I'd be a pretty grumpy looking fish if I lost my power to wish and wish and wish:


After this I read: The Gruffalo

[Alice Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely picture book about a fish who has the power to grant his own wishes. Children could take on the role of the fish and write lists of what they would wish for. We could also discuss the potential downsides of having everything you want.

The fish also decides that he’d like to be like everyone else, but as soon as he does he realises how much he loved just being himself. It teaches children to embrace their individuality and what makes them different.

[Tara Harries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a rhyming story about a fish who can wish for anything he wants but in the end wishes he was like the other fish in the sea so can no longer make wishes. This could be a good story to share in the classroom to show the importance of being yourself and it's good not to be like others.

[Sophie Snowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It’s an easy read aloud as it’s a rhyming book. It teaches children that it’s ok to be different and you should treasure the powers you have as they are very special and unique to you!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a rhyming book about a fish that is granted the power to wish for things (and the wishes always come true!), but the fish doesn't use his wishes wisely and ends up wishing away his power. The rhythm of the book makes the rhymes almost rap-like, and coupled with the striking illustrations, proved to be a hit in my year 1 class. A really good book for starting a discussion about thinking things through before acting.

I would definitely recommend it!

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ideal for KS1 or Reception, a colourful picture book. It tells the tale of a fish who could wish, who wishes for a castle, a car, a horse, a spanish guitar and to fly across the world. At the end the fish makes a "silly" wish, to be like all the other fish in the sea. To be like the other fish he loses his power to wish. A bright, colourful picture book.

[Abigail F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is illustrated by Korky Paul, known for his unique illustrations in many other children's books, particularly the Winnie and Wilbur series. Written by John Bush it is a lovely story about a fish that has the ability to grant his own wishes. The story is all written in rhyme and follows an upbeat rhythm. This could be a great book when teaching rhyme or topic such as 'Under The Sea'. There are no real lessons in this story as such, although being yourself and not wishing to be like others could be discussed towards the end of the book when the fish wishes to be like the other fish in the sea and as a result loses his unique ability to wish. This could be a lesson for the end of KS1.

[Amal Nassir · Rating 5 out of 5]

We actually really liked this book. The illustrations were a little bit dark which spooked my 4 year old son at first but as he realised what the story was about he got over that fear and the message behind the story was great.

The fish who could wish had awesome powers. He could wish anything... Until the day that he wished he was like all the other fish... But other fish can't wish...

You are great just the way that you are and, the moment you become just like everyone else, you lose that greatness. Great for encouraging children to embrace their differences and find what makes them special.

[Ainhoa Desvaux Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this picture book. The book is about a fish who lives in an imaginary world under the sea and makes wishes of who he would like to be/ how he would like to look. The very colourful and big illustrations together with the rythms throughout the text will attract children´s attention when reading it out loud to them. The rhythmical text can also be used to start teaching children about rhyms but, the main lesson that children can learn from this book is that being different is a good thing and that they don't have to be like everyone else.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the fun rhymes and interesting illustrations, I think this book has a great moral at the end, which is to never wish to be like other people, because only you can be you and if you were like then, you would lose your uniqueness.

[Tavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Wishes that he could be different shapes. Promotes discussion around 2D shapes and mathematical understanding.
- Discussion point: What would you wish for?
- Promotes discussion around differences, and individuality.

[Kay Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fish that wishes but isn't wise. (Need to find version with great artwork.)

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource when introducing the 'sh' sound in phonics :)

[Tamara Zann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to P1s and they loved it. There's rhymes and good ones at that. I enjoyed it as much as them.

[Amy Brydon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story to use in KS1 when looking at rhyme. could also be linked to underwater habitats in science.

[Ms Doxey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rhyming story, good for year 2+.

[Eszter Molnár · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embrace being different! A lovely tale with Korky Paul's beautiful illustrations.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of enjoying being what we are.

[Linda Kaplan]

I love this book for children. The illustrations are fabulous and the verses are great. I recommend it

[MARTIN JOHN CORFE]

Reading with children.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bouncing rhyme and a silly premise are the features of this story that imagines a fish with unlimited wishes and more greed than foresight.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great intro in the year 2 class for children who had very little to no experience with poetry in a book, led to some great discussion and they defiently enjoyed it

[Kathlene Burnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute kid’s book that introduces a logical problem and the idea of consequences and open ended questions. These days, the artwork feels very dated.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to some 4 year olds and it was quite funny — big chance I got more out of it than they did. Also laughed way more at the ‘ghoti’ reference than I should have xD

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Fish who could wish’ written by John Bush and Korky Paul tells the story of an unusual fish who has the power to wish for anything he wants. The fish wishes for cars, castles and the ability to fly and all these wishes come true. Though this fish has the power to wish, he is not very wise and one day he wishes to be like the other fish in the sea. This is the last wish that comes true.

The book is written in rhyme and is great for reading aloud as it has a sing song rhythm. The book has lovely colourful illustrations which reinforce what is written in the text. The illustrations also have lots of detail making it interesting for children to look at. This book would be perfect to use in reception and key stage 1. It could be used to start a discussion about what the children would wish for and to talk about whether there are consequences of wishing for certain things. It could also be used to think about the importance of thinking things through before acting on them.

[Gary Sangster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fish Who Could Wish is a great book for younger children (or adults who still have a younger child inside). In the book we meet a fish who has a magical power, he can wish for anything he wants to, he wishes himself a big castle, into space, into different shapes and even big enough to scare away a hungry shark. However eventually his great power goes to his head and he wishes that he was like every other fish and thus loses his power. Not only is the story dry and witty it is lovingly illustrated with lively colourful pictures. It is superb for younger children not only because of it's moralistic conclusion but also can be used to teach shapes, underwater related vocabulary and to provoke discussion - be careful what you wish for!

[Laura Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about- as the title suggests- a fish who can wish. He wishes for all manner of things until he wishes to be like every other fish in the sea, at which point he loses his wishing powers.
The moral of the story seems to be an obvious one: be careful what you wish for.
Beyond this underlying message, The Fish Who Could Wish is full of fun and would be appropriate to read to children in reception, though they probably wouldn't start to read it independently for at least another year.
I might use this book in an English lesson as to help me discuss rhyming words and rhyming patterns. I could also use it for a P4C or PSHE lesson, asking children to think about things that they might like to wish for and why people can't always get what we want.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fish Who Could Wish, by John Bush, gives an account of the life of a fish who's wishes all come true. He wishes to have 'castles and cars and spanish guitars'. The book illustrates an abab rhyming scheme which the children thoroughly enjoyed as the liked guessing what word the sentence would end with. The fish uses his wishes to escape being eaten by a shark, by wishing that he was a shark himself. Then one day, he made a silly wish to be a normal fish. He had forgotten that a normal fish could not make any wishes and he became a normal fish who never made a wish again.

[Misty Kincade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literary Awards:
N/A
According to AR
Book Level: 2.3
Interest Level: Lower Grades (K-3)

A beautifully designed picture book, "The Fish Who Could Wish" is ideal for read aloud or independent reading. The author takes us on an adventure with a fish who can wish for anything. Young children will be fascinated by the rhymes in this book and will be eager to discover the next wish the fish will make.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A not so ordinary fish in the sea has the gift to not only wish for something, but that it will immediately come true. He wishes for many things, but it is his last wish that has unforseen consequences.