A Fish Out of Water

Illustrated by P.D. Eastman
Look inside
Hardcover
$9.99 US
On sale Aug 12, 1961 | 72 Pages | 978-0-394-80023-3
A classic, comic easy reader about getting a pet!

In this beloved Beginner Book, a young boy hilariously learns the consequences of not following instructions when he feeds too much to his goldfish—causing it to grow as big as a whale! With delightfully retro illustrations by P.D. Eastman (Go, Dog. Go!), the message of the book—that getting a pet is a big responsibility—is as true today as it was when the book was published in 1961. 

Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, this beloved early reader series motivates children to read on their own by using simple words with illustrations that give clues to their meaning. Featuring a combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art, Beginner Books will encourage a love of reading in children ages 3–7.

"Comic pictures show how the fish rapidly outgrows its bowl, a vase, a cook pot, a bathtub." —The New York Times
Helen Palmer is the author of the bestselling The Enneagram, The Enneagram in Love and Work, and The Pocket Enneagram. She codirects the Center for Enneagram Studies and Teaching in Berkeley, California, and regularly conducts workshops and lectures around the world. View titles by Helen Palmer
P. D. Eastman was an author and illustrator who created many children’s books, including Are You My Mother?; Go, Dog. Go!; and The Best Nest. Trained at the National Academy of Design, he published his first Beginner Book, Sam and the Firefly, in 1958. Since then, his books have sold more than fifty million copies, and he has become one of the most beloved children’s book authors in the world. View titles by P.D. Eastman

About

A classic, comic easy reader about getting a pet!

In this beloved Beginner Book, a young boy hilariously learns the consequences of not following instructions when he feeds too much to his goldfish—causing it to grow as big as a whale! With delightfully retro illustrations by P.D. Eastman (Go, Dog. Go!), the message of the book—that getting a pet is a big responsibility—is as true today as it was when the book was published in 1961. 

Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, this beloved early reader series motivates children to read on their own by using simple words with illustrations that give clues to their meaning. Featuring a combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art, Beginner Books will encourage a love of reading in children ages 3–7.

"Comic pictures show how the fish rapidly outgrows its bowl, a vase, a cook pot, a bathtub." —The New York Times

Author

Helen Palmer is the author of the bestselling The Enneagram, The Enneagram in Love and Work, and The Pocket Enneagram. She codirects the Center for Enneagram Studies and Teaching in Berkeley, California, and regularly conducts workshops and lectures around the world. View titles by Helen Palmer
P. D. Eastman was an author and illustrator who created many children’s books, including Are You My Mother?; Go, Dog. Go!; and The Best Nest. Trained at the National Academy of Design, he published his first Beginner Book, Sam and the Firefly, in 1958. Since then, his books have sold more than fifty million copies, and he has become one of the most beloved children’s book authors in the world. View titles by P.D. Eastman