A sweet story about overcoming disappointment and rethinking one's expectations. Bear wants to win a big stuffed animal at the fair, but instead he winds up with a tiny fish. He spends most of the story thinking about all the ways the fish is not as good as the teddy bear he wanted. Eventually he tells the fish he's going to have to go because he's not a good fit for bear, but fish points out some ways in which he is, indeed, an excellent fit. The story made me smile, and the illustrations were delightful.

I did have concern that the misconception that goldfish eat only gold food like carrot muffins or Cheetos was never cleared up. Hopefully this does not result in goldfish being fed oranges. But seriously, this is a cute preschool picture book that would make for especially good reading before kids get their hearts set on what they might win at a fair.

Thanks to Netgalley, CarolRhoda Books, and Lerner Publishing for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. That is the ultimate moral of this story. Just because someone looks a certain way doesn't mean you can make assumptions about the kind of person they are.

Bear goes to the fair and all he wants is to win himself a teddy bear. But things don't go quite as planned and he ends up winning a tiny little goldfish in a bowl. The first thing children learn is about dealing with disappointment and how to make the best of a situation that doesn't go the way they wanted. It is a great conversation starter to talk about feelings of frustration and how things sometimes happen that are unexpected. Bear doesn't know how to care for such a tiny creature and doesn't think much of his new friend. Soon Bear learns that looks can be deceiving and he embarks on a Bert & Ernie style friendship with this tiny fish. Opposites can be amazing friends if you open your mind and heart and love everyone for exactly who they are. Differences can bring us together and we can share our love and kindness with everyone no matter how different they are.

Bright, simple illustrations are fun and engaging. Plenty of great lessons for kids to learn.

This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. Incorporating social-emotional skills and topics such as this into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach an important life skill in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classroom libraries, counselling offices and more.

My daughter LOVED this book and I loved the message. I loved how it showed her that no matter our differences, we are all still human and are alike in so many other ways.

Thank you @Lerner Publishing Group and @Carolrhonda Books and @Sandra Nickel for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Very cute story about a bear and a goldfish. The narration was pretty simple with beautiful illustration. I love the cool color tone for the illustration, it's so eyes pleasing.

Big Bear & Little Fish is a story that has lessons about friendship. Bear makes assumptions based upon the way his new friend looks. His new friend fish helps bear to understand that we are all different and yet we can all be friends. The illustrations were beautiful and story is an important one.

This is a quick and sweet book about bear who would like to win a big teddy but instead wins a little fish. Now he needs to figure out what to do. The illustrations were great and colorful.
Thank you to netgally for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick and sweet book about bear who would like to win a big teddy but instead wins a little fish. Now he needs to figure out what to do. The illustrations were great and colorful.
Thank you to netgally for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adorable book! Bear is unsure, but fish has a certain way of explaining things that makes Bear reconsider their differences. It's a great way to show that you can make friends with anyone--they don't have to look just like you. Or let's see how we share all these commonalities that we think are differences. I loved it! Would definitely add this to my school library collection.

I read this to my almost four-year-old and we both loved it. The story is about finding similarities when things might seem very different from each other, and how even if you don't get the thing that you thought you wanted initially, you can still have a happy ending. My child loves the pictures of the bear and the fish dancing around at the end of the book. This is one of those stories that is fun to read over and over again, as opposed to the ones that you cringe over when your kiddo asks for them (parents you know what I mean).

Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to access this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Big bear hopes to win a teddy bear at the fair. Instead, he ends up getting a teeny fish in a little glass bowl. He is sad and worried, not knowing what to do with the little fish. It is so small, you see!
But the big bear soon learns that he and the fish do have some things in common and they may not be so different after all!
The book is cute and sweet. The language is simple and easy for kiddos to understand. The illustrations have a slightly rough edge that makes them endearing. Most of the background is white, and I first thought it was snow. However, it suits the tone of the book.
Big Bear and Little Fish is a heartwarming story about making friends and looking for similarities despite the differences.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Carolrhoda Books® and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Big Bear and Little Fish by Sandra Nickel. Illustrated by Il Sung Na. I loved this children’s 📖 book. I cannot wait to someday read it to my granddaughter. The whole time I am reading it I keep thinking it should be being fed goldfish food that you buy at pet stores.

The 3 year-old I read this with was bored by the end and ready to read a different book.

I, on the other hand, thought this was a cute story. I like how it pointed out all the differences between the bear and the fish, but then later it's pointed out that despite those differences they have plenty of similarities too. The story brings an appreciation to admiring the ways in which we are all different, but in the ways we are also the same. The illustrations were really cute and I loved them.

This book is too cute. The illustrations and prose are wonderful. Bear wanted a teddy bear. Not a tiny fish. Bear doesn’t know how to handle having a small fish. But Fish provides a new perspective and gives Bear some things to ponder. This helps their friendship cultivate and flourish. Honestly, wonderful story about friendship and seeing the world through new eyes and making friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

I love that fish points out the similarities between him and bear. I liked that even though they were similarities you could see they were differences too. The story just left me feeling eh. I wanted more substance to the plot.

The story of unexpected friendship is always so important especially with children. It's crucial to help kids understand that everyone is different on the outside. However, our physical differences shouldn't hinder the emotional connections/friendships you can create.

As a toddler teacher, this book had many good teaching points that 2 year olds are still learning.
1) The size differences, BIG bear and Small fish
2) Bear being gold and eating gold food
3) Fish being orange and the different orange food
5) Bear measuring his height and comparing it to fish

I really liked how the book shows that the differences between Bear and Fish are actually similarities. In the end our differences can be the main source of what bring us together

The book was really cute and sweet, and it has both a good lesson and a lovely story about two friends who discover they can be both big and small, and learn to share. The illustrations were beautiful and the colors in the story were also very nice for young children learning about colors. The story is definitely full of big feelings: so be ready to talk about those too!

Big Bear and Little Fish was such a sweet story about how our differences may not be so different after all. The book had bright, simple illustrations. I enjoyed the idea that your perspective on how big or small you are in the world is all relative. Very inspiring.

According to my 6 year old-
I thought the bear was cool. I thought the fish was cool, too. The book was awesome.

From me-
What a cute story. The small fish taught the big bear a big lesson!

This was such a cute book that talks about differences and appreciating all the ways we are the same/different (always an important lesson for children, or anyone!). The illustrations and colors were pretty, interesting and inviting! my three year old really liked this and I know we will be reading it again!

"No matter how small we might be in the outside, we can still be big on the inside." 🐻🐟

Thank you Lerner Publishing Group / Carolrhonda Books for a digital copy of this book! This book is due for publication 9/6/22 and we recommend it.

💙 Mommy (@that.bookmom) and Ronan (@thatbookkid) approved ✅

This is a cute read about opposites and comparing yourself to others. It shows how we don’t have to be the same and shows kids how to celebrate our differences. The illustrations are cute too.