Review: Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish

Do you like fish? What about weird and wonderful trivia?

Then Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish is a book you will love.

It's a rhyming, non-fiction picture book, particularly suitable for young children.

The text by Debra Kempf Shumaker is simple and rolls along like waves in the ocean. Read it out loud for the best effect.

You'll learn about fish that can sting, and fish that can coat themselves with snot! Just the kind of facts that will appeal to children of a certain age, and bound to be remembered!

This book is full of fun. From squirting fish and hibernating fish, to dancing fish and singing fish.

Claire Powell's illustrations are colourful caricatures and provide lots of detail. 

Labels tell you the official names of all the fish, and freaky and funky ratings let you know how weird and wonderful they are. The Coral Reef Frogfish scores a five out of five for freakiness, while the Batfish is given a four out of five funky rating. And there are lots more. 

As explained in notes at the back of the book, there are more than 32,000 species of fish. There are more than 25 that star in this book and you can keep track of them with the map and fish inventory provided on the endpapers. You can also explore them further using the included list of further learning resources and selected sources. 

Freaky, Funky Fish is a clever and creative book. If you want to engage children in the natural world, this is a great place to start.

Title: Freaky, Funky Fish
Author: Debra Kempf Shumaker
Illustrator: Claire Powell
Publisher: Allen & Unwin , $ 24.99
Publication Date: June 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760526733
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction