The Fisherman And His Wife
Illustrated by Alan Marks, Translated by Anthea Bell
Picture Book Ages 8-12
Rating:  3.5/5

An updated version of the children's fable. A fisherman is fishing one day when he catches a flounder, who begs him to spare his life for he is a Prince. When the fisherman's wife hears this she commands her husband to go to the flounder and have him grant wishes. Soon the wishes become out of control- the wife is still not satisfied, and her wishes escalate until her greed lands them back at square one.

Opinion: I had never heard this fable before so I was actually eager to read it and see what happens. There is definitely a climax when the wife keeps demanding more and more things, like being a King, an Emperor, the Pope, and then finally like God! The illustrations are realistic and there is a lot of writing on each page, so I recommend it for older children. The story itself is entertaining and the language is very detailed and really creates a visual, almost better than the pictures themselves. I did not picture the wife as obese though, and I felt really bad for the fisherman!

Curriculum Connection: This would be a good story in a lesson on greed. It has a really good moral that I think children will appreciate. It could also be used in a literature unit because there is a lot of distinct vocabulary that older children might have fun sorting out.