I won a what?

The hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy who tries to win a goldfish and winds up with FAR more than he bargained for. Fans of Sparky will flip for this whale of a tale!

I have to win this goldfish.
My parents won't let me have anything fluffy. Or shaggy. Or feathery. Or that eats mice.
But finally, tonight, they say I can keep anything I win at the goldfish booth.
And I win!
Just not a goldfish.
I win . . .
Nuncio?

Author Notes

Audrey Vernick writes fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens. She never had a pet goldfish as a child, but she did have two gerbils named Guru Maharishi Darling 1 and 2. Audrey is a two-time recipient of the New Jersey Arts Council's fiction fellowship, and her books include the critically acclaimed Brothers at Bat and Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? She lives near the ocean with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs. For her next pet, Audrey really wants a baby goat. Visit her at AudreyVernick.com.

Robert Neubecker draws for Slate.com, the Wall Street Journal , and the New York Times . He is the award-winning author-illustrator of Wow! City! , Wow! Ocean! , and Linus the Vegetarian T. Rex . Robert lives in Park City, Utah, with his family, dogs, cats, and lizards. Visit him at Neubecker.com.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-"I have to win this goldfish." Thus opens the tale of a boy who really wants a pet. His parents, he laments, are too practical. They won't let him have anything fluffy, shaggy, or feathery-or, heaven forbid, anything that eats mice. But tonight he'll be allowed to keep what he wins at the carnival goldfish booth. His aim is true. "Where's my goldfish?" he asks. Alas, he doesn't win a fish. He wins Nuncio, a great blue whale with eager eyes and a perennial smile. "Impractical," his parents moan. But they keep their promise, and Nuncio, tugged on a multiwheeled platform behind their little car, comes to live in their conveniently huge swimming pool. The contrast between the narrator's delight and his parents' vexation is as evident as their postures and facial expressions. While almost every spread is dominated by the enormous Nuncio, some humans are happier than others about bringing in cartloads of fish or being serenaded with sounds reminiscent of a broken siren. When Dad says, "This isn't working out," the young whale owner has to think fast. Nuncio lends a fin in the garden and a spout for the car wash, proving himself a practical family pet-as Dad says, "A real keeper." Reminiscent of countless tales of extraordinary household pets, I Won a What? is a worthwhile contribution. VERDICT With a simple text and entertaining illustrations, this is a heartwarming picture book-and what happens on the very last page is downright beautiful.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

After Vernick's unnamed narrator inadvertently wins a whale at a carnival, the boy's fair-minded parents allow him to bring Nuncio home on a "trial basis." Fortunately, they already have an "enormous swimming pool" for the hulking blue whale to occupy. Vernick (First Grade Dropout) and Neubecker (The Problem with Not Being Scared of Kids) play the situation for both laughs and touching "aww" moments from start to finish, with the artist's characteristically bold illustrations readily complementing the humor of Vernick's writing. The corners of Nuncio's smile peek out of the water as the boy and his parents arrive with wheelbarrows of seafood for him to eat (Neubecker dutifully x's out the eyes of every fish and octopus), and the boy has a bit of trouble describing the precise lilt of Nuncio's song ("At first I think it's a musical cow. Or a broken, slowed-down siren. Possibly a hurt donkey"). Sweet without turning saccharine, it's proof that the best kinds of love can come from the most unexpected places. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt Literary Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

It's tough having practical parents. The young, unnamed narrator of this story wants a pet, but his parents say no. So when a carnival comes to town, the boy seizes his chance to play the goldfish game. What he wins, however, is Nuncio, who is a bit bigger than a goldfish. Or a dog. Or a goat. Or a baby elephant. Or a refrigerator. He is the Clifford of fish: a giant blue whale who comes to live in the family's pool on a trial basis. Turns out, Nuncio may be a handful, but he is completely worth it. The pencil-and-digital illustrations are tons of fun, with most pages filled with Nuncio's distinctively blue, smiling face, while double-page spreads show Nuncio surrounded by a cast of children. I wonder what he thinks about me, the boy muses. If Nuncio's happy expression isn't enough to answer the question, the text bubble on the next page (I won a boy!) proves that the whale is just as thrilled with the match, and young readers are bound to agree.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2016 Booklist

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