Daisy wins a fish at the fair, and names him October after her favorite month. But he's a rather strange fish that keeps outgrowing his bowl. Perhaps children will enjoy this one more than I did. Arden's story, though enchanting, seems slight, and the ending left me saying, "That's it?"

The strangest fish has the strangest story but I really loved it! Daisy wins a fish at a local carnival and while everyone else in her family thinks it's weird she does her best to take care of it - and is rewarded in the end! I liked the illustrations - watery and imaginative and reminded me of the style of Quentin Blake (Roald Dahl's illustrator).

Thank you to Katherine Arden, Astra Publishing House, Astra Young Readers, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader copy of "The Strangest Fish" for an honest review. I'm a big fan of Arden's adult publishing and so I had to jump on it when I saw she was putting out a children's book. While this art style is my favorite the story was cute enough, and I can definitely see little kids loving it.

I really liked this story

It was a well written story that had a nice flow to it and it was easy to read and follow.

Daisy is a great little character and you follow her as she worries about the strange fish that she won at the fair. The fish turns out to not be the goldfish that they had expected and Daisy worries about her fish and what might happen to it as it gets bigger.

The illustrations are nice and work well with the story too to bring it all to life.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

I did not see the ending coming and i think this is a great picture book that teaches some really valubale lessons on expectations, judgement, and love

This picture book highlights the magic that can happen when someone allows you to grow through love and compassion. Highly recommend for the beautiful illustrations and sweet message.

Thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful picture book about a young girl who wins a fish that keeps on growing! She loves her friend no matter how big she gets.

This story was so whimsical, with lovely illustrations that beautifully accompanied the words. I will definitely be purchasing copies for my niece and nephew!

Daisy goes to the fair with her family and brings home a strange fish. She puts the fish in a fishbowl and finds that the fish is growing FAST. It quickly outgrows all the possible containers in their house, so Daisy takes the strange fish to a local pond. Her family worries that something bad will happen to the fish (it will get hit by a boat! It will get eaten by a turtle!) but Daisy finds that the strange fish is doing well in the pond. It's a nice story.

Daisy loves October and the fair. When she wins a fish, she takes it home and tells it that it is the best fish, but admittedly there's something strange about it. Delightful water-colors add to the watery feel of the fish and Daisy's world.

A girl wins a fish at a fair. She names it after her favourite month and looks after it every day. But this fish is no ordinary fish.
Sweet bond between the girl and the fish.

I liked the relationship of the girl and her fish, and the fact that she understood that the fish 'October' needs to be free to truly prosper.
I didn't love the illustration style but the message of the book is beautiful.

The Strangest Fish tells the story of a girl who wins a fish at the fair. She names it after her favorite month and promises to give the fish a great home. But each day, October outgrows his fishbowl. Daisy realizes that October is no ordinary fish and decides to release him into the lake near her house, where he has the space to grow into the amazing water creature he was always meant to be. A nice story about the bond between a young girl and her fish, and about setting it free.

Delightful!
When is a fish more than a fish? In October!
Fantastic!
The illustrations by Zahra Marwan are whimsical, fluid in style, imaginative, colorful, and fun.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, hospital, or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC on Adobe Digital Editions from Astra Publishing House | Astra Young Readers via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a gorgeous, joyful, and imaginative picture book! Such a simple yet profound reminder of the power of unconditional love and trusting your instincts. I’ve been considering reading Katherine Arden’s novels for years, and now I know I will.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute "Ugly Duckling" type story. Daisy's fish doesn't look like other fish and keeps outgrowing containters. Turns out it's because he's not a fish, but a water dragon. This is a beautiful story about unconditional love and not judging someone/thing based on appearences.

"The Strangest Fish" by Katherine Arden is a wonderful, short children's book about the unusual friend you can make from any place. For Daisy, this was the "strangest fish" that was won at a fair. This story feels like a creative, Asian-inspired twist from the Ugly Duckling stories.

It's a wonderful reminder that great things and great friends can come in small packages, the "strangest looks," from even typical places like the fair. The main character gets rewarded for treating the "fish" well. Everything else about it is backed by a colorful art style and a surprisingly supportive family inside the story.

This review is pending to be published on GoodReads once published. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher(s) for this advance copy.

The Strangest Fish is a very sweet story about a girl and a fish she wins at a carnival. The art style was very unique and colorful.

I received an ARC from Astra Publishing House | Astra Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I’ll read any single thing that Katherine Arden writes. She is magic as well as an incredible story teller. Her children’s books are no exception. I picked up this book solely because she wrote it.
The Strangest Fish is a magical story that embodies every child’s secret dream: that they somehow encounter something wild and magical just for themselves.
What starts as a trip to a fall fair, turns to into a sweet friendship between a little girl and her “fish.” We were delighted by this lovely story with its gorgeous illustrations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this storybook. September can’t come quickly enough to get our hands on a copy.

The story and characters were fine, but I did not like the art style. Very wobbly. The story also has been done many times before.