Book Title & Information on Author
The book The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t-Sleep Blues, written by Deborah Diesen, was chosen for this paper. Her debut novel, The Pout-Pout Fish, was a New York Times bestseller and one of Time magazine’s top ten children’s books of the year. Illustrations for all book series are by Dan Hanna, a very experienced animator who has presented his work on BBC America and Cartoon Network. The book The Pout-Pout Fish illustrates the change in approaches to language learning, as it develops not only a child’s reading skills, but also their emotional intelligence.
Reading Approach
A differentiated approach to reading is outlined in this book. For example, there is a task in the book where a child needs to find objects hidden in the dark in a picture (Diesen, 2020). Unlike the traditional approach, which mostly uses a combination of text and pictures, this approach involves interactive tasks to engage children in a conscious process.
Appropriate Age Group
This book is the most appropriate for children aged 3-4 years. Large images and additional tasks are specifically aimed at young readers.
Story Summary
The story dwells on the adventures of the Pout-Pout Fish. One night, he is ready for bed, but he cannot fall asleep. When he approaches his buddies for advice, they are all certain they know what he should do (Diesen, 2020). They advise him to count sheep, use a cushion made of rocks, swim in circles, but nothing helps (Diesen, 2020). The child should help the fish to fall asleep while interacting with the story.
Enhancing Language Development
This book might enhance language development by allowing the child to build new vocabulary immediately. By completing tasks, a child can not only fix a visual image for new words, but also learn how to build sentences with them. For example, in a task where you need to find the same table lamps, the child also needs to explain his choice, which activates his vocabulary for describing object characteristics (Diesen, 2020).
A large number of phrases with similar sounds, such as “squihy squeed”, allow for the practice of difficult-to-pronounce sounds (Diesen, 2020, p. 12). The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t-Sleep Blues promote multi-faceted language development in children. Using a new differential approach provides more opportunities for children to learn. Thus, when reading the book, a versatile language development takes place.
Enhancing Cognitive Development
This book might promote cognitive development by fostering children’s emotional intelligence. For example, the active use of adjectives in relation to Pout-Pout Fish, such as “poor”, “sad” or “sleepy”, forms a child’s picture of how the fish feels (Diesen, 2020, p. 6). This is how children learn to be compassionate and empathetic toward others. Reading the book not only activates vocabulary and helps work on difficult-to-pronounce sounds, but also develops a child’s cognitive intelligence.
Moral Content
The story has a moral: it teaches the child that others’ opinions are not always the truth. For example, the advice that friends give to Pout-Pout Fish helps them fall asleep, but does not help her fall asleep (Diesen, 2020). It educates youngsters that everyone is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another.
Reference
Diesen, D. (2020). The pout-pout fish and the can’t-sleep blues. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.