BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSThis book starts like a calm science book. A cow has fur and is a mammal. A snake has dry, scaly skin and is a reptile. Birds have feathers, and that's all there is to it. Then the book gets to the fish, and things get silly fast. Fish break every rule! The book has lots of fishy things to say about them, like a round orange fish named Jeff who might be their leader, a wise old fisherman who talks like a pirate, and a whale shark as big as a bus.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Don't Trust Fish
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Don't Trust Fish. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book are readers told a cow is warm-blooded and has fur?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
The cow is the very first animal in the story, and it gets four calm facts like "This animal has fur" and "This animal is warm-blooded." The book stays this calm until it reaches the fish.
- First half
In what book does a wise old fisherman answer with "YAR!"?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
To learn about fish, the storyteller asks a wise old fisherman who is ice fishing through a hole in the ice. He shouts, "YAR! Only fools and landlubbers trust them scurvy sea scoundrels!"
- First half
In what book is a whale shark the size of a bus?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
The book draws a whale shark right above a city bus to show they are the same length. The words say, "This is a whale shark. It's the largest fish in the world. It's the size of a bus."
- Second half
In what book does a child say pancakes are yummy while a goldfish spies?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
A child at the kitchen table says "PANCAKES ARE YUMMY!" while a goldfish watches through a telescope from the fish tank. Later, a goldfish passes that news along to a fish with a crown.
- Second half
In what book does it seem strange that ships never sink on land?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
The book points out "Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn't that strange?" In the picture, two goldfish poke their heads out of the water near a sinking ship.
- Near the end
In what book are readers told that crabs are your friends?
✓ Answer
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
Near the end, the book says "Crabs are not fish. Crabs are your friends." Earlier it felt sorry for the "poor, innocent crabs" that some fish eat.
