Review of Not Fishy Enough

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Not Fishy Enough" by Briton Kolber.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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This book takes me back to my school days. Back then, I experienced bullying because I have ADHD and often had tantrums. My parents were also unaware of psychological issues, so whenever there was a problem, I would often be the one blamed.

I often felt different and strange compared to others. Especially as a Chinese-Indonesian minority here, it was even harder for me to accept myself as I am. I might even envy Edwin in this story who has supportive parents. Most of my problems I kept to myself until I went to college out of town.

Everything changed when I went to college. Since then, I've enjoyed reading psychology books related to self-acceptance. I also attended some webinars by well-known local authors, and some introduced me to children's storybooks.

I realized I didn't have the privilege to read good children's books like this. Instead, I learned about parenting, bit by bit, hoping that one day I could be a good parent and facilitate my child to be themselves.

This book really relates to the issues I've experienced. I like the analogy of the shell and Eunice's explanation of how we change when we become different and how people around us ridicule us, trying to "fix us" to remain the same as them. I understand that stepping out of the comfort zone is not easy.

Some great quotes I captured in this book:

- "About once a year for the past few years. I learn and think about things and grow. Change hurts. Doing something new is uncomfortable. But If I don’t molt, I’m too big inside to be who I was, so I have to molt even when it hurts a bit,” said Campbell.

- “Well, the truth is it’s very hard to figure out when to accept yourself and when to try harder. Part of growing up is figuring out which social rules are good and which ones Are not,” said Campbell.

- “Any social rule that makes you feel worthless for something you can’t control probably needs to go.”

I like the part where she uses examples in this book to address our life problems related to self-acceptance. As a psychotherapist, she explains the solutions well. She also provides some sections for discussion and problem-solving; this book can be used as discussion material by parents and teachers.

The struggle when Edwin finally dares to be different from his parents. I feel it personally, and I know it's not easy to feel like that. I like the resolution of the conflict from the story.

Regarding its theme as a children's book, I like the part where she adds characters who can speak foreign languages and characters that remind us of proverbs or phrases. This is very suitable for enhancing the knowledge of young readers.

I give this book a rating of 5/5. Perhaps someday when I have children, I want them to read this book too.

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Not Fishy Enough
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[Abriani H]

This is a nice review. The topic about self acceptance for kids isn't a topic you can find in other book for kids. Thanks for writing this

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

This is a nice review. The topic about self acceptance for kids isn't a topic you can find in other book for kids. Thanks for writing this

Sure. Thanks for commenting on my review

[Anozie Stephanie]

So sad the reviewer had to pass through bullying to be able to write this awesome review, it is heartbreaking for one parents to always put the blame on the child without knowing this affects the child psychologically in one way or the other.

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

Thank you for your empathy. Indeed, those were not easy times, but that's also the reason I want to learn about psychology and parenting. It could be said that this is a blessing in disguise.

[Risper Ouma Anyango]

I read this book two and I enjoyed the crabs story. He is told his while life that he is a fish and yet he is a crab. When he learns who he truly is, he embraces this and joins other crabs. I also loved the self help words at the end of the book

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

I read this book two and I enjoyed the crabs story. He is told his while life that he is a fish and yet he is a crab. When he learns who he truly is, he embraces this and joins other crabs. I also loved the self help words at the end of the book

True. This book is good, especially towards the end when it provides guidance for parents and children on how to help children accept themselves.

Thank you for your response.

[Laney K]

Self acceptance is such an important topic for children. Growing up, being different from other children is horribly difficult, so books such as this that address these issues are important.

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

This is a nice review. The topic about self acceptance for kids isn't a topic you can find in other book for kids. Thanks for writing this

Yes. If you have some recommendations related to this topic, I would gladly to hear your recommendations and feel free to discuss it with me in this forums

[Abriani H]

Sure. I will recommend and discuss more in this forum when I get the related books to tell

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Sorry to hear you were bullied at school; I was, too, so I can relate. If books like this had been available back then, the situation may not have been as bad. Today's kids are fortunate to have access to this kind of material.

[Cristiano Bellucci]

Thank you very much for your review. I enjoyed this book too. Thanks for sharing part of your life with us.