The Library Fish Learns to Read

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Author(s)

Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

February 07, 2023

ISBN

978-1534477070

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Library Fish returns in this charming picture book about the unusually literary fish learning to do what everyone around her loves—read!

Library Fish is very happy in her bowl on Mr. Hughes the librarian’s desk. From there, she listens to story time and watches Mr. Hughes teach children the alphabet. He says the alphabet is made of letters, letters make sounds, blending those sounds together makes words, and words make stories.

Library Fish wants to read, too! She starts jumping out of her bowl to practice when the library closes at night. Can Library Fish become a reader all on her own?

Editor review

1 review

Now I know my A-B-Seas

October 07, 2023 (Updated: June 23, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Mr. Hughes keeps Library Fish on his desk, but the fish also gets to come to story times, and is thrilled to hear all of the new stories. Determined to learn how to read for herself, Library Fish hatches a plan. When Mr. Hughes leaves for the evening, she springs into action, jumping out of her bowl while wearing an interesting glass bubble filled with water on her head. She teachers herself the alphabet, then practices with short books. Working hard every night, she keeps on with her practice until soon she is able to spell words like BUBBLE. Eventually, she learns to read well enough, and hopes to help others with their attempts to learn.

Good Points

The illustrations have some fun, quirky elements, like bits of typed excepts appearing on people's sleeves and the covers of books, and there is even a bookmobile parked outside with headlights that are anthropomorphized to look like eyes with eyelashes! There are lots of colors, but they are a bit more muted, with a lot of black pencil outlines that give them a lot of depth. I liked how some of the scenes were drawn in round bubble shapes and placed on a white background.

Library Fish's enthusiasm for every aspect of reading is fantastic to see, and this would be a great title to use in story times with pre kindergarten students, to entice them to try their own hands at reading. This is a good outline for the different skills one needs for reading, and even mentions that the pictures in the books give Library Fish some context for their meaning when she is not able to recognize the word when sounding it out.

I haven't been all that successful in teaching my dogs to read, so I tend just to read the books to them, but young children just starting out can find a variety of animals who are going through the same experience in books like How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hill, The Perfect Seat by Minh Lê, illustrated by Gus Gordon, The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley, illustrated by Kate Berube, and How to Teach Your Slug to Read by Susan Pearson.