Pout Pout Fish Read Alikes

The Pout Pout Fish is coming to theaters and so I thought it made a lot of sense to create a book list with similar picture book titles that you can borrow from your local library! I pulled titles with a few different ideas in mind, one was for rhyming. I love a good rhyming book and honestly rhyming is much more difficult than you’d think when it comes to reading aloud. Sometimes, it takes me a bit to realize that the author is British and thus pronounces some words a little differently than I do. The book rhymes if you use an accent, but not so much other times.

The Pout-Pout Fish is a great rhyming picture book, so I’ve included some of my favorite rhyming stories here as well. But, I also wanted to include some titles about friendship, feelings, emotions, and adventure! So, I added a few Social Emotional Learning (SEL) titles as well. If you love this idea, check out my list for Harold and the Purple Crayon which came out as a movie a few years ago!

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The Pout-Pout Fish Read Alikes

The Bad Seed by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

This is a book about a bad seed. A baaaaaaaaaad seed. How bad? Do you really want to know? He has a bad temper, bad manners, and a bad attitude. He’s been bad since he can remember!

With Jory John’s charming and endearing text and bold expressive illustrations by Pete Oswald, here is The Bad Seed: a funny yet touching tale that reminds us of the remarkably transformative power of will, acceptance, and just being you. Perfect for young readers, as well as anyone navigating their current world, The Bad Seed proves that positive change is possible for each and every one of us.

Bear Feels Sad by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

Bear feels sad. All his friends are off being busy and he’s by himself. He can’t think of anything to do to cheer himself up. Even building a fort is no fun! But when he finds a beautiful field of flowers, Bear gets the perfect idea to turn his day around: gathering gifts to share with his friends when they get back!

Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang

Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends can’t understand it–how can he be in a bad mood when it’s SUCH a beautiful day? They have lots of suggestions for how to make him feel better. But Jim can’t take all the advice…and has a BIT of a meltdown. Could it be that he just needs a day to feel grumpy?

Suzanne and Max Lang bring hilarity and levity to this very important lesson on emotional literacy, demonstrating to kids that they are allowed to feel their feelings.

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won

Elephant wakes up grumpy—until ding, dong! What’s in the surprise box at the front door? A hat! HOORAY FOR HAT! Elephant marches off to show Zebra, but Zebra is having a grumpy day, too—until Elephant shares his new hat and cheers up his friend. Off they march to show Turtle! The parade continues as every animal brightens the day of a grumpy friend. An irresistible celebration of friendship, sharing, and fabulous hats.

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

Llama, Llama red pajama
waiting, waiting for his mama.
Mama isn’t coming yet.
Baby Llama starts to fret.

Tucked into bed by his mama, Baby Llama immediately starts worrying when she goes downstairs to do chores. As he waits and waits for her to come back, his soft whimpers turn to hollers as he turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama! But just in time, Mama Llama returns to set things right.

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Alex Scheffler

When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It’s a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend?

Squid in Pants by Kaz Windness

Two shoes. FLIP-FLOP!
One shirt.
Tank top!
Nice pants. Kid gone?
Squid puts clothes on!

When a fashion-seeking squid spies some abandoned clothing on a boat, he feels his time has come at last! He takes the clothes to try on, but when their owner returns, a deal must be struck!

What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrated by Katie Melros

Did you know that fish grunt, shellfish crackle, and some sea creatures even burp and boop to communicate? Dive into a fascinating underwater adventure as one little shellfish guides readers through the surprisingly loud world beneath the waves!

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek

There are red sheep and blue sheep, wind sheep and wave sheep, scared sheep and brave sheep, but where is the green sheep?