I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
A positive attitude prevails in this story about a giant squid who brags that he is bigger than everything else in his ocean world. He is bigger than the shrimp, the clams, a crab, a jellyfish, a shark, and all of the fish he can see. He happily claims, “I’m the biggest thing in the ocean,” just as a blue whale with a mouth as big as two pages of the book opens up and swallows him. After a moment of disbelief, the squid looks around the inside of the whale and claims, “I’m the biggest thing in this whale!”
Special Note: The book has the feeling of a tall tale—it stretches our imagination! The science of ocean life is also stretched a bit since squids are never really on a whale’s menu.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Extend this story by sharing a variety of nonfiction books with the children about ocean life. Children can create their own ocean animals and create an ocean collage. Which animals are the biggest and smallest in the ocean collage?
Discuss with families the importance of repetitive phrases in early literacy. The repetitive phrases along with the visual clues make this a great book to read aloud together. This book provides a chance for children to join in repeating the words and pointing at them. It also provides a chance to talk about bragging as well as making the best out of a situation that doesn’t always go our way.