Product Description

Poor Big Al! He just wants to make friends. And in the whole wide blue sea you can't find a nicer fish. But because Big Al is large and scary-looking, the little fish are afraid to get to know him.

What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86427 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

About the Author
Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously popular FRINDLE. He has been nominated for a multitude of state awards and has won the Christopher Award and an Edgar Award. His popular works include EXTRA CREDIT, LOST AND FOUND, NO TALKING, ROOM ONE, LUNCH MONEY, A WEEK IN THE WOODS, THE JACKET, THE SCHOOL STORY, THE JANITOR'S BOY, THE LANDRY NEWS, THE REPORT CARD AND THE LAST HOLIDAY CONCERT. Mr. Clements taught in the public schools near Chicago for seven years before moving East to begin a career in publishing and writing. He lives with his wife in Westborough, Massachusetts and has four grown children.  His website is andrewclements.com. 

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Pictures and a moral to the story
Not only are the pictures absolutely eye-popping in Big Al, but the story carries a very important moral: to not judge by appearance. I first recieved this book when I was 6 years old, and now I'm 16. Even though 10 years have passed, I still find myself thinking of Big Al when I judge a person.

Perfect story!
So many kids books that deal with real life issues often cop out by having the character solve the problem in a way that kids couldn't possibly apply to their own life. This book is a shining example of how to achieve what so many authors cannot: solving a real problem in a real way that can be applied to real life. Beyond the beauty of the lesson, "Don't judge by appearance", is the beauty in the way the story is told. The artwork is a superb extension of the text. Buy this for every child you care about.

The illustrations give life to an important lesson...
Big Al is truly the scariest-looking fish, but - like all of us - he just wants to be accepted by his peers. In fact, he does everything to be accepted: Wraps himself up in seaweed, puffs himself up, hides in the sand so others will come close, changes color to match a passing school of fish, but to no avail. Then comes Al's chance to save the day and make some friends.

Yoshi's illustrations are rich and give life to Al's world underwater.

I've used this book in my classroom for kids to understand how we are all unique in our own way, but we each have a strength to offer others.