Marjorie Frith

Lucky: the Autobiography of a Goldfish Marjorie Frith

Publisher Marketing: LUCKY - The Autobiography of a Goldfish is essentially a true story. Embellished only as necessary to facilitate presentation as an autobiography, Lucky's memoir uses vocabulary familiar to Early Readers, yet easily understood by younger children. I first encountered Lucky as Mrs. Wroe gingerly carried the fish toward her classroom in a small, cylindrical aquarium. "That is the sickest looking fish I've ever seen!," I quipped. Candice protectively responded, "If you'd been through what this fish has been through, you'd look pretty sick too!" Together, we set up Lucky's new residence and waited for the students to arrive. They were as anxious as I was to hear the story of this latest addition to their pet collection. At morning meeting, Mrs. Wroe recounted the sometimes-terrifying early life of the fish. It is not surprising that the enthralled class decided to name him Lucky. As I listened and observed the student's fascination, it became quite clear that this was a wonderful story for young children, demonstrating both a creature's inborn will to survive and the virtue of human kindness. Somehow, by the end of the day, seated at the computer, I began to imagine how Lucky might like to have his early life remembered. Thus was born his "autobiography." As an extra bonus for young readers, Lucky's adopted 2nd grade family thoughtfully drew all pictures; each child assigned a specific page to illustrate. I believe they did a phenomenal job! There is only one illustration where Lucky cannot be seen. See whether you can find it as you read his story.