Ugly Fish

Author: Kara LaReau

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: BULLYING

Year of Publication: 2006

Publisher & Location: Harcourt Children's Books

ISBN#: 978-0152-05082-5

Target Age Level: Lower elementary

# of Pages: 40

Quality of Illustrations: Illustrations are good

Brief Summary:
Ugly Fish lives in his own aquarium. However, he is ugly, big and mean. Whenever a new fish comes, Ugly Fish will not share his driftwood tunnel or his special briny flakes. After chasing the new fish around he then eats the fish. After a while, no more new fish come and Ugly Fish becomes lonely. He then wishes that he hadn’t been so mean to the other fish. Then, a big fish joins his aquarium and Ugly Fish tries to be nice. However, this fish is a shark and ends up eating Ugly Fish.

Post reading activity:

1. While reading the book talk point out how the little fish feels about Ugly Fish being mean. Discuss how Ugly Fish eventually feels when he doesn’t share and is a bully (lonely). Ask, “At the end of the story, did Ugly Fish like being bullied back?”
2. Go to http://urbanext.illinois.edu/conflict/index.html and complete the activities to learn about 3 choices you can make when you are being bullied and which one is the best. It also contains a teacher section with activities and worksheets you can use.
3. Using large pieces of butcher paper, break up the children into pairs. Have the children trace each other’s bodies. Then they can color each other’s papers. Then have the children write nice things about the other person inside the drawn bodies.