One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

English language

Published March 18, 2003

ISBN:: 978-0-00-717368-6

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is a 1960 children's book by Dr. Seuss. As of 2001, over 6 million copies of the book had been sold, placing it 13th on a list of "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books" from Publishers Weekly. Based on a 2007 online poll, the United States' National Education Association labor union listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children."It is a simple rhyming book for beginning readers, with a freewheeling plot about a boy and a girl named Jay and Kay and the many amazing creatures they have for friends and pets. Interspersed are some surreal and unrelated skits, such as a man named Ned whose feet stick out from his bed, a creature who has a bird in his ear, and one man named Joe who cannot hear the other man's call because of a mouse cutting the line.

5 editions

ianreadstokids reviewed One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (Beginner books)

"Don't ask us why, go ask your mother."

2 stars

It's not even about fish! There are three spreads about fish and then it meanders off into a disjointed collection of standalone pages, only the most meager scraps of narrative to hold them together. Why do we collectively remember this book as about fish when it's not?!

The middle of the book is especially trying as many of the pages feel like filler, populated by fictional beasts who only exist so their names can be rhymed with common words like "bike" or "cans". It's some of Suess' most uninspired work, punctuated only occasionally by more enjoyable vignettes, like the hapless Ned in his undersized bed. Or Clark. Ohhhh, Clark. I could almost forgive all this book's shortcomings for Clark.

This is all the information we get about Clark and I couldn't ask for anything more.

KID VERDICT (3y - 5y): He likes it. Not as well as …

It's not even about fish! There are three spreads about fish and then it meanders off into a disjointed collection of standalone pages, only the most meager scraps of narrative to hold them together. Why do we collectively remember this book as about fish when it's not?!

The middle of the book is especially trying as many of the pages feel like filler, populated by fictional beasts who only exist so their names can be rhymed with common words like "bike" or "cans". It's some of Suess' most uninspired work, punctuated only occasionally by more enjoyable vignettes, like the hapless Ned in his undersized bed. Or Clark. Ohhhh, Clark. I could almost forgive all this book's shortcomings for Clark.

This is all the information we get about Clark and I couldn't ask for anything more.

KID VERDICT (3y - 5y): He likes it. Not as well as some of his preferred Suess books, though. He thinks Clark is creepy (accurate).