Common Sense Media Review
By Susan Faust
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Surprise narrator dishes on fish in funny, absurd tell-all.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
An unidentified narrator describes how tricky fish can be in DON'T TRUST FISH. The story starts out in a serious tone, listing the natural characteristics of different animals, including mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians. As for fish, some breathe with lungs and others with gills. They disguise themselves as catfish and tigerfish. Some lay eggs and others don't. Some eat seaweed, and others eat other fish or crabs. Some even live in the deepest ocean waters and have bioluminescence to attract crabs. Bottom line: Fish don't follow rules. A fisherman, telescope, aquarium, toilet, and sunken ship figure in. Robotic fish too. Then comes the reveal. The surprise narrator is at a computer keyboard typing the story in this tell-all.
Is It Any Good?
Facts, fiction, and fun blend in a charmingly absurd picture book about how fish don't follow rules. Offering many examples about their unruly ways, an unidentified narrator makes such a case in Don't Trust Fish. Bits of basic science are embedded in what rolls into a silly story about how fish then can be so tricky and even threatening to other sea life including crabs. On the last page, when the narrator's identity is revealed, the story arc and the opinionated point of view make sense. Good for some chuckles, Don't Trust Fish is more entertaining than educational, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Don't Trust Fish and think about what fish they have seen in person and where—for example, in a pond, the ocean, or aquarium. What did you notice? Did anything in this book make you curious about fish?
What do you think about the humor in the story? Did it make you laugh? Did it help you learn about fish and other animals?
Do you prefer to learn facts from a book that is nonfiction, or do you enjoy having the facts as part of a fiction story?
Did you learn anything new about fish that you did not know before? If so, what?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Dan Santat
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals ( Ocean Creatures ) , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : April 8, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : March 19, 2026
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