Tune into your senses and experience the wonder of nature with The Girl Who Became a Fish – Polly Ho-Yen’s magical tale of transformation…
The Girl Who Became a Fish is a great little book for reading aloud to KS1 and using as a basis for literacy activities with KS2. It covers the subjects of moving home, caring for older relatives, making friends, and facing your fears. It’s a lovely story, with lots of beautiful illustrations.
What is The Girl Who Became a Fish about?
Ita is afraid of a lot. She’s afraid of talking to her classmates at her new school. She’s afraid that her family is drifting away from her. But most of all, she is afraid of water…
Ita has just moved into a new house in a new town, and everything feels very strange to her. It wouldn’t be so bad if Dad were around more, but since Nan became unwell, he’s been spending a lot of time at her house.
Then one day, Ita gets separated from her brothers on the walk home from school and discovers a mysterious river. Although afraid of water, Ita feels compelled to dip her hands in, and when she does, to her amazement, they grow perfect little fish scales. If Ita enters the river, will she turn into a fish?
Starter activities
There are many opportunities for sparking thoughtful conversations with The Girl Who Became a Fish. Some ideas to get your class started include:
Ask pupils if anyone has moved house before and if so, how they felt. Did everything feel strange to them? Were they excited about the move, or a bit worried about leaving their old home behind?
Ask children to think about Ita turning into a fish. If this happened to them, how do they think they would feel about it – excited, scared, or a bit of both? Why do children think Ita’s scales disappeared at the end of the story?
Do pupils have any good suggestions for ways that Ita could start to make friends at school? It can be really difficult to make that first connection with others, especially when you’re the new boy or girl and everyone else already has their friendship groups.
After reading the book, ask the class if they liked it and if they felt that the story contained a message.
Karen Hart is an independent drama teacher, literacy workshop organiser, author and freelance writer. Browse 60+ brilliant books for topics.
