Ugly Fish

From opening salvo to closing thought, Ezra Knight takes delight in his performance of UGLY FISH. He's as cocky and confident as any bully might be, even one in a fish tank. In a voice full of bravado, he tells off, and then eats, every new fish that arrives in his realm. But maybe a bit of companionship would be welcome after all. . . . Ugly Fish is not quite so quick or bold when Shiny Fish arrives. If only Ugly Fish had developed more skills in sizing up acquaintances and initiating friendships. In an afterword, Kara La Reau shares her inspiration for writing this story. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

June 26, 2006
With his murky green skin and fierce underbite, Ugly Fish rules the aquarium. "He liked gliding in... and out... of his driftwood tunnel. He liked eating his special briny flakes." But he hates to share. Each time a potential friend is introduced, he snarls, "There's only room for one fish in this
tank—me
!" He devours all interlopers, including cute yellow Teensy Fish and the cuddly duo of Stripey and Spotty Fish. In post-meal images, readers witness Ugly's pleased expression and see the victim's fin dangling from his toothy jaw; when he's lonely, he does express mild remorse ("Chasing those fish was fun. If only I hadn't eaten them"). Shortly thereafter, dark-blue Shiny Fish—so enormous he doesn't fit on the page, and with sinister dark circles under his narrow eyes—joins Ugly in the tank. Ugly acts as though he has learned his lesson, and tries to welcome the hulking newcomer. But predator becomes prey, and Shiny gets "a nice new home... all to himself." Magoon pictures the action in close-up, except for a wordless closing image of solitary Shiny, content in the rectangular tank. In this conclusion, Magoon implies the tiny territory for which the fish compete, and not least, the human hand in the fishy murders. LaReau's text, meanwhile, describes a bully's grim comeuppance. But however satisfying the vigilante justice, only a bigger bully trumps a petty tyrant. This cautionary tale shows that violence begets violence, but never suggests an alternative to the big-fish-eat-little-fish cycle. Ages 3-7.