NORMAN: One Amazing Goldfish!
Written by Kelly Bennett
Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones
Candlewick Press, September 2020
ISBN: 978-1536206715
Get A Copy (click on links below):
A sequel to NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY
Norman is one amazing goldfish! His owner knows Norman is sure to dazzle the crowd at Pet-O-Rama with his circles, bubbles, and flips—even though some kids don’t think a goldfish is a good pet. But when Norman is finally on stage, he freezes up and hides behind his plant. Poor Norman! Luckily, his owner plays a familiar song on the tuba, helping Norman to relax and show the crowd how amazing he really is. The popular stars of Not Norman return in a warm and wryly funny new story about being there for your fishy friend when he needs you most.
Educational Resources:
Looking for Downloadable Resources? Scroll! Save! Share! & Enter the Giveway!
Norman Puppets → download PDF
Teacher's Guide → download PDF
Brush up on your Norman history, by watching this YouTube Buddy Reading Not Norman, A Goldfish Story → Watch here
Enjoy this amazing YouTube Buddy Reading of Norman One Amazing Goldfish by Sam Richardson @littlecubliteracy→ Watch here
Also, read the amusing “Not Curtis” story here — and learn what things seem like from a fish's viewpoint.
Click & enjoy #KidTimeStoryTime’s Read Aloud! It’s Fin-ah-minnow!
Kelly welcomed Miss Michelle of Hopewell Library into her office for an Author Study and Read-Aloud this June. Click! Watch! Listen!
Reviews
“Three cheers for Norman the amazing goldfish—and this charming story! This is a fun read whether shared with the group or a child in a lap. The story moves quickly, and the bright, mostly full-bleed artwork will keep the attention of young readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Coupled with Jones’s vibrant, deeply saturated cartoon-like art, Bennett’s funny and sweet look at friendship through the eyes of a child and his pet goldfish, is a definite winner.”—Good Reads With Ronna
“A follow-up to 2008’s beloved ‘Not Norman: A Goldfish Story,’ this heartwarming book tackles stage fright and friendship.”—HuffPost, “Diverse Children’s Books That Aren’t About Diversity” by Catherine Pearson.
“A book that should be on your read aloud list”—Katie Carprino, Book Blogger, Literacy Advocate & Reading Specialist
“Perfect for any littles who have a bit of stage fright, this story is a confidence booster for all of us!—Little Cub Literacy Review
“Norman flips! He dives! He does amazing tricks befitting the scaly genius he is! But when the tiny orange guy gets—love, support, and a bit of tuba music are all he needs to be his best!” —Washington Independent Review of Books
“Simply stated, "Norman: One Amazing Goldfish!" is an especially recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections for children ages 4-8.”—Midwest Book Review
“Illustrate Storytime with 10 Beautiful Picture Books”—Tulsa World, March 21, 2021.
One Amazing Interview with Noah Z Jones, the artist/creator of our finny friend, Norman T. Goldfish
Noah Z Jones: the Human, the Artist & Goldfish Imaginer, the Disposal:
(NTG: Norman T. Goldfish; NZJ: Noah Z. Jones)
NTG: Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s its name?
NZG: We’ve got three pets. A hermit crab named Pineapple and two loafy guinea pigs, Hippo and Panda. Pineapple makes weird squeaky noises in the middle of the night and Hippo likes to take Panda’s lettuce when she’s not looking.
NTG: What is your favorite food?
NZJ: Tacos. Always tacos. From now until the end of time it’s tacos. And Fruity Pebbles. But mostly tacos.
NTG: If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous.”
NTG: “If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been nervous.”
NTG: Any food you would not eat—even for a million dollars?
NZJ: Look, I’m gonna be honest, I’m like a garbage disposal. I’ll try anything once.
NTG: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
NZJ: Naps. Give me a couch, a nice pillow and twenty minutes to doze and I’m the happiest person on Earth.
Kelly & Noah didn’t meet until years after NOT NORMAN was published—they were guppies!
Then (When you were a kid):
NTG: What did you like to do best?
NZJ: Draw and read. That’s all I used to do. And watch Saturday morning cartoons.
NTG: What was your favorite subject in school?
NZJ: Art! I loved it. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up from the time I was in second grade or so.
NTG: Did you have a best friend or pet? (If yes, what kind and what was his-her-its-their name?)
NZJ: My best friend was a kid named Jon Tarr. By the time he was in sixth grade Jon had cracked his skull five times, on accident of course. I was only there for two of the skull crackings. This is real. Hi Jon!
NTG: What was/is your favorite kid movie or TV show?
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NZJ: Movie would be a tie between MATILDA and BABE, they’re both SOO good. When I was a kid I loved THE INCREDIBLE HULK, I loved imagining turning green and smashing things.
ALL THINGS NORMAN:
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NTG: How do you get me to show so much emotion? (And what’s with the sweatband?)
NZJ: It’s all in the eyebrows! Most of my drawings of characters start with the eyes and eyebrows. Some people say eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but I say it’s clearly the eyebrows. OF COURSE NORMAN NEEDS A SWEATBAND!! The little fish is always sweating up a storm.
Noah’s sketch of final scene
NTG: Do you do all the illustrations on the computer? Or do you draw some by hand? How does that work? Can you describe your process a bit?
NZJ: The drawings for both Norman books were all done on the computer, I like being able to change things and move parts of my drawings around and it’s so much easier to do those things digitally. I have a special kind of screen that I can draw on with a digital pen, it’s pretty cool. Though I have to say I’m always keen on drawing in paper sketchbooks, that’s where most of my ideas start.
NTG: What was it like illustrating a sequel to NOT NORMAN?
NTZ: It was fun and a little harder than I thought it would be! The first NORMAN book came out FIFTEEN YEARS AGO and my adorable fish drawin’ skill shad gotten a little rusty!
NTG: Must have been hard to top that boy-peeking-through-the-fishbowl NOT NORMAN cover for the sequel—or was it? How many ways did you try? Can you show us some?
NTZ: It was a little tricky, the first sketch for the cover got rejected…I’m sending it along so you can get a behind the scenes peek at it!
NTG: Would you like to work on another Norman the Goldfish adventure?
NZJ: YES, YES A MILLION TIMES YES!! Let’s do the first book series with a HUNDRED THOUSAND sequels!!
Last question N to N: What does your letter Z stand for? (I’ll tell you about my T is if you share your Z.)
To see samples of Noah’s cartoons, animation, antics—and to find out what he’s really up to, google him—that’s what we did—cyber stalking. Here’s his bio: Noah Z Jones.
GLU-GLU-GLUG THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
Kelly’s Books