Big Al

Big Al
by Andrew Clements
illustrated by Yoshi

This is the story a BIG ugly fish named Al. Although Al was the nicest fish you'd ever meet, he just couldn't make an friends! None of the little fish wanted to be friends with him, because he looked to big and scary. Al tried everything, disguising himself with seaweed, puffing himself up to make the fish laugh, but nothing seemed to work. In the end though, Al rescues the little fish from a giant net, and everyone realizes what a good friend Al can be.

I enjoyed this book. It addresses friendship issues in a light and humorous manner, while still capturing the sadness that a lonely fish(or kid!) feels. I definitely think this could be a good book to use with students when exploring issues of friendship. Yoshi's illustrations are bright and engaging.