The Blobfish Book

by Jessica Olien, Jessica Olien (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for fans of Battle Bunny and Z Is for Moose, this irresistible book within a book introduces us to Blobfish, known as the “ugliest fish in the sea”...or is he actually the fish who will steal our hearts?

Did you know that the deepest parts of the ocean are over one mile deep—too far down for any sunlight to reach? That’s where Blobfish lives. But this book isn’t about Blobfish...or is it?

This true (clever) story about the (misunderstood) Blobfish is sure to make you smile. Full of fun facts about sea creatures in the deepest reaches of the ocean, this book is perfect for any science lover. From Jessica Olien, the author/illustrator of Shark Detective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062394156
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	140,713
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jessica Olien is a writer, illustrator, and native midwesterner now living in Brooklyn. Her cartoons have been published by the New Yorker and her writing for grown-ups has been published in Slate, the Atlantic, McSweeney’s, Marie Claire, and many others. She is the author and illustrator of Shark Detective!, The Blobfish Book, Adrift, Right Now, and When a Tiger Comes to Dinner. Visit her at www.jessicaolien.com.

Jessica Olien is a writer, illustrator, and native midwesterner now living in Brooklyn. Her cartoons have been published by the New Yorker and her writing for grown-ups has been published in Slate, the Atlantic, McSweeney’s, Marie Claire, and many others. She is the author and illustrator of Shark Detective!, The Blobfish Book, Adrift, Right Now, and When a Tiger Comes to Dinner. Visit her at www.jessicaolien.com.

Editorial Reviews

03/07/2016
Slotting somewhere between Mélanie Watt’s Chester books and Mystery Science Theater 3000, Olien’s spoof of dry, nonfictional picture books delivers big laughs, thanks to a pink blobfish eager for its moment in the spotlight. The book-within-a-book premise lets readers flip through a photographic title, The Deep Sea Book, about the denizens of the deepest parts of the ocean. But for a pink cartoon blobfish popping up among photos of viperfish, anglerfish, and other creatures, the pages suffer from a serious lack of attention to its own species. Worse, when the blobfish spread finally arrives, it’s a rude awakening: “The blobfish was once voted the world’s ugliest animal,” writes Olien, mimicking the straightforward tone of an informational children’s book. The blobfish erupts into tears, but its fellow deep-sea creatures come to the emotional rescue. “I know how you feel,” says the northern stoplight loosejaw, spiky teeth agape. “Everyone thinks I’m scary, but I’m really small and nice.” Blobfish’s antics and wildly vacillating emotions are what make the book so much fun, but the photographs of and information about ocean life gives it additional depth, so to speak. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A misunderstood deep-sea dweller gets its moment in the sun in this tongue-in-cheek informational picture book...Olien pulls off the humor and the positive friendship message without a hitch, while also whetting the appetites of young readers to find out more about Earth’s most mysterious frontier.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Delivers big laughs.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for SHARK DETECTIVE: “Delightful…the story is strangely inspirational...Many readers will demand further adventures-or imagine them for themselves.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for SHARK DETECTIVE: “Nothing slows the determination of chip-munching Shark in this lively romp through the mean streets. He’s one cool sleuth.” — School Library Journal

Praise for SHARK DETECTIVE: “Shark is an endearing goofball worth rooting for.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—A misunderstood deep-sea dweller gets its moment in the sun in this tongue-in-cheek informational picture book. The bubble-gum pink blobfish is sketched onto the pages of a nonfiction work that presents facts about and photos of the fascinating creatures that live miles beneath the ocean surface. Snappy dialogue balloons and humorously exaggerated cartoon features convey the impatient critter's mental "fin-twiddling" as it waits to hear about its own species. When the big moment arrives, delight turns to dismay as the protagonist discovers that "the blobfish was once voted the world's ugliest animal." Tears and self-doubt ensue. However, it doesn't take long for the other deep-water denizens—now embellished with expressive cartoon eyes and speech balloons of their own—to chime in with a bit of empathy and a crayoned letter of support. Additional facts about the featured animals and their environment, along with a list of web resources, are appended. VERDICT Olien pulls off the humor and the positive friendship message without a hitch, while also whetting the appetites of young readers to find out more about Earth's most mysterious frontier. A first purchase.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2016-02-17
The world's ugliest animal speaks up. In the tradition of Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky's Moose and David Ezra Stein's Interrupting Chicken, Blobfish takes over a book about deep-sea creatures, inserting itself into every page. A straightforward text about deep-sea life, a sentence or two set on a background of photographs, is interrupted on every double-page spread by an impatient cartoon blobfish and its own commentary. When its photograph finally appears, the text notes that it "was once voted the world's ugliest." Naturally, its feelings are hurt. At this point, the other animals—viperfish, jellyfish, jewel squid, anglerfish, blenny fish, giant spider crab, and northern stoplight loosejaw—acquire speech bubbles too, banding together to make their own crayoned page with a message of support. The humor is grand, the informational value modest. Olien has juxtaposed creatures that may live far apart in real life. On a diagram of ocean zones (with only English measurements), Blobfish points to the 13,000-foot line between the bathypelagic and abyssopelagic zone to show where he lives "in the deep, deep part"; since there is yet another zone below 20,000 feet, readers will wonder exactly what "deep, deep" means. Moreover, in truth, blobfish seem to live around 2,000-4,000 feet down. They also probably look quite different at their proper depth; the photo in the book was taken at the surface. Further facts and suggestions for websites to explore are added in the backmatter. Fine for a metafictive read-aloud but not so great as science. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews