In all the wide blue sea, there's not a nicer fish than Big Al-or one more lonely. He wants nothing more than to make as many friends as he can, but when the other fish look at Big Al, all they see is how scary he looks and how sharp his teeth are. Then one day, a net drops down from above and catches many little fish. It's up to Big Al to come to the rescue! This frisky tale from the best-selling author of the Jake Drake books is sure to help young readers understand that it's what is inside that counts.
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"This is a great child's book about a big ugly fish named Al (Me) and a bunch of tiny pretty bitchy uppity fish (The School) one day the little snoddy fish get caught in a net and Big Al's heart is so pure that he won't leave them to die. He uses his snaggle-tooth and massive size to slice open the net and set them all free. They all realize that he is Fabulous and they can't live without him."
— Alan (5 out of 5 stars)
" This was a really cute book. I used this book to teach descriptive writing to my students and they loved it. We first read half of the book without looking at any pictures. We then discussed all of the different descriptive words the writer used to describe Big Al and the students went and drew Big Al. WE finished the book and compared their fishes with the illustrator's rendition. "
— Whitney, 2/8/2014" Gentle picture book about friendship--I love Al's expressions in the illustrations. "
— Joy, 2/4/2014" The moral of the story is never judge by appearance. Big Al was one of the most ugliest sea creatures, but he was really friendly. No one wanted to play or talk with him because they were afraid of him. This made Big Al lonely and sad. Eventually, Big Al becomes liked when he saves the other fish from being taken away by fisherman. Nice story to read aloud and teach a lesson on. "
— Denesha, 2/2/2014" Big Al's story is nearly an opposite to Rainbow Fish. Al can't get a friend because he is so big and scary looking. "
— Suz, 1/30/2014" A very nice story about a big, scary, ugly puffer fish that wants to have a friend. "
— Amanda, 1/30/2014" Big Al tries to be like everyone else, which fails him in his quest to make friends. He finally is able to help his friends out and they all love him. Okay for teaching kids how important it is to help friends and make good choices. "
— Rocheal, 1/18/2014" One of my favorite read alouds - Big Al tries so hard to make friends with the little fish! The art work is wonderful too. "
— L, 1/18/2014" My students love this book. We read it many times last year and one student asked me, where are all the other Als? They really enjoy the story of a search for friendship. "
— Beth, 1/15/2014" This is our current bedtime favorite. Al is endearing and the illustrations are really gorgeous. The story is very sweet without being too sappy. "
— Jennifer, 1/5/2014" This story is a excellent example of teaching children about not being prejudiced about others because of their appearance or their difference. "
— Carole, 12/18/2013" The illustrations were nice and colorful, but the story was a bit predictable. "
— Lesley, 12/5/2013Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously successful children’s novel Frindle. He has won two Christopher Awards and an Edgar Award, and more than ten million of his books are in print. His popular works include About Average, Troublemaker, Extra Credit, and others. Clements is a graduate of Northwestern and National Louis universities, and he currently lives in central Massachusetts with his wife.
Kevin R. Free is an audiobook narrator and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several AudioFile best narrations of the year selections. Known for his work with young-adult novels, he has read titles by Rick Riordan, Walter Dean Myers, and Joe Haldeman. In 2011 he was named a Best Voice in Young Adult and Fantasy from AudioFile magazine for his narration of Myers’ The Cruisers: Checkmate.