About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is a natural storyteller who sometimes blurs the lines between imagination and reality, or if you are looking for a playful way to discuss the value of truth and the power of narrative. Tiddler is a small fish who is constantly late for school, excusing his tardiness with elaborate, fantastical tales of underwater adventures. While his teacher is skeptical, his classmates are enthralled by his creativity. The story takes a turn when Tiddler actually gets lost at sea and finds that his own stories have traveled further than he ever imagined. It is a wonderful choice for parents who want to celebrate a child's creative spirit while gently exploring why honesty matters when it counts. The rhyming text and vibrant illustrations make it an engaging read for toddlers through early elementary schoolers.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
Peril/Fear. While Tiddler is captured in a fishing net, the peril is resolved quickly through the clever mechanism of storytelling and there is no depicted harm to the animals. However, the moment of being caught in a net and lost at sea may be distressing for sensitive children.
Ideal Reader
A 4-year-old with a vivid imagination who often tells 'tall tales' and needs to see that their creativity is a gift, or a child starting school who might feel small and 'plain' like Tiddler.
Parent Prep
This book is a 'read cold' delight. Parents may want to practice different voices for the various sea creatures to enhance the rhyming rhythm. A parent might choose this if they are frustrated by a child's habit of making up excuses or 'lying' about small things, looking for a way to pivot that behavior into creative storytelling.
Age Experience
Younger children (3-4) will enjoy the 'Oh no he didn't/Oh yes he did' refrain and spotting the fish in Axel Scheffler's detailed art. Older children (5-7) will appreciate the irony of the story-within-a-story structure and the way Tiddler's reputation precedes him.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many stories that strictly punish 'the boy who cried wolf,' Tiddler offers a more nuanced take where the protagonist's penchant for fiction actually saves him. It celebrates the oral tradition of storytelling.
Read plot summary
Tiddler is a small, plain fish who is perpetually late for Miss Skate's class. Each day, he arrives with a wild excuse: he was captured by a squid, or he rode on a seahorse. While the teacher and some classmates (like Johnny Dory) are skeptical, others love his stories. One day, Tiddler is caught in a real fishing net and swept far away from home. He navigates his way back by following the trail of his own stories as they are retold by the various sea creatures he meets along the way.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Tiddler's teacher doesn't believe his stories, but Johnny Dory does. Why do you think some people like stories more than others?
2
When Tiddler was actually caught in the net, how did he feel compared to when he was just making up stories?
3
Tiddler's stories helped him find his way home. Have you ever remembered a story or a song that helped you feel better when you were lost or scared?
4
Is there a difference between 'telling a lie' to get out of trouble and 'telling a story' to entertain friends?
