The eponymous Ugly Fish enjoys having his tank to himself in this darkly amusing picture-book from author Kara LaReau and illustrator Scott Magoon. Each new fish that is added to the tank is eaten by our ugly piscine hero, until loneliness prompts him to try a new tack. Unfortunately for him, the new addition to the tank, Shiny Fish, is just like him, only bigger...

The ending of Ugly Fish is sure to raise some eyebrows amongst those who expect picture-book fare to be sweet and light, with edifying morals. For those who enjoy more Jon Klassen-style tales, with a dark, pointed sense of humor however, it will probably be just the ticket. Parents and librarians be warned, the ending here (Ugly Fish is eaten by Shiny Fish) isn't happy, although it certainly isn't unexpected. For my part, I found myself wondering: who's taking care of these fish?! Why do they keep adding more, if they're being eaten? Clearly someone isn't a responsible pet owner. Somehow I expect that wasn't the point the author had in mind. Recommended to those who enjoy picture-books with a sharper, less sweet feeling. ( )

Oh my gosh - I did NOT like this book at all! I expected Ugly Fish to find a friend - but instead, he ate the new fish in the tank, and then he faced the same fate when another bigger fish was put into his tank. Totally unredeeming - I am not sure what good qualities I can give this story! ( )

In my opinion this is not the greatest book and I have mixed feelings about it. I liked this book because of the way that the writing was organized, but I disliked this book because of the plot. In the story, the author writes the words on the page in a way that represents what is happening in the story. For example, when the author writes, " Ugly Fish chased Stripey Fish and Spotty Fish around the tank," she writes the words going in a big circle on the page. I liked this because it made the story different and fun to read. I did not like the story, however, because the plot was a little bit sad. In the story, Ugly fish is happy by himself, and when new fish are added to the tank he ends up chasing them and eating them because he says that "there's only room for one fish in this tank." In the end, Ugly Fish feels lonely and wishes he had someone else around, but he ate all of the other fish. Then, a bigger fish is introduced and Ugly Fish is relieved to not be alone anymore, until the bigger fish decides to eat him. I thought that the plot was a little grim and was not a huge fan of it. The big picture, however, is a positive message that you should appreciate what you have and being selfish could wind up backfiring in the end. ( )

Hilarious picture book, with good repetition, a funny story and an ending that makes storytime all that more, whomp-whomp.

Suitable for Preschool +. Not as great with younger audiences - it's a little too long.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good story and had a great message. The story was easy to read and made sense. The lines were repetitive which gave good rhythm to the book. This line repeated itself a couple times throughout the book. “There’s only room in this tank for one fish, ME!” There was good action in this book, which kept the reader on their toes. Lastly the main message of this book was that when you are greedy you become lonely. Also it teaches about karma and that when you are bad to people, they will be bad to you. ( )