Cynthia wants a pony, and gets a goldfish. They become friends, as the fish is talking. ( )

I originally choose this story because I have gotten fish for my birthday in the past but by reading the first page I got a general since of the overall story. It opens with ‘Cynthia loves ponies’ and throughout the story we hear her talk about how many times she has asked her parents for a pony but she instead she gets a fish. She doesn’t want the fish in the beginning and it shows her being extremely ungrateful. Overall the book teaches about loving what you get and no matter what, every living thing is important. Cynthia grows attached to the fish and starts to take safe care of it. For example when the fish is upset and uneasy about being near the cat, Cynthia crosses the street. Additionally she lets the baseball team know to be extra careful as she is walking by to ensure that the fish tank does not get damaged. The reader gets to see an empathic point of view and have concrete examples of compassion. Cynthia eventually names her fish marigold in the end which is what she was going to name her fist pony. Readers get to see her love develop and see how she becomes attached to her new pet fish that she never thought she would. ( )

This book is an easy read, and would be a good lesson to teach kids that they can't always get everything that they wish for. However, the things that we get may not turn out to be so bad after all. It would be a good book to read around Christmas, even though that it isn't Christmas themed. http://www.danyaccarino.com/dy/