Are there any good childrens books for aquariums?

[Spilk]

I'm looking for a good childrens book with bright illustrations to grab the attention of small children. I want something that a small child (5-7ish) would be interested in and be able to use to grasp the basics of fish care for their first tropical aquarium which covers the following:

Basic tank stocking
Tank cycling
The ammonia>nitrite>nitrates>waterchanges cycle
Basic distinctions between types of tropical fish (pond/livebearer/cichlids/brackish/etc)
Types of filters/filter mediums
Types of substrates
Basic maintenance

Are there any that you guys can list?

 

[CathyG]

Involving a child of that age in real time tank maintenance will grab their interest sooner than any book. Most kids that age are still learning to read, and they are more likely to absorb more in practise than in theory (even where pictures are involved).

My (just) 7y/o daughter is a fish fanatic. Ok, she knows very little about fish we don't keep (though she recognises some species from pictures or visits to the LFS) but she knows about the ones we do keep. I introduce a little bit more to her each time I think she has grasped the last concept...

I take her to the LFS, she names the fish as she moves around the tanks, and has also spotted some signs of stress (lol) and pointedly told one LFS he had a bad case of Ich in his tank of clowns, also advising clowns were prone to it. She told another that the barbs were nipping the fins of a Betta. We don't keep barbs, but she has learned they can be fin nippers, even though they were not attacking the Betta at that time.

If she sees a fish she fancies, she has gone from asking if they are "warm or cold water" to asking if they are fresh or salt, and do they need to be kept in numbers or alone? She is learning about compatibility, and the importance of partial water changes (but I am yet to get to water chemistry with her) She recognises male from female in a lot of species, even those we don't keep, and knows which are live bearers and which lay eggs from a few of the commonly kept species.

I believe that the age group you are thinking of respond much better to practice than theory, and the shared interest with an adult is way more valuable than reading an encyclopaedia of facts.

Bake biscuits with your kid, they will love the shared experience and savour the taste. Give them the recipe and leave them to it, they are in a two dimensional situation with too many questions, and could get their fingers burned.

Involve the child, it is easier (and more fun!) to educate them this way than giving them a book. That said, my girl does like to leaf through Practical Fishkeeping, looking at the pics!

 

[Spilk]

I understand what you are saying, but I know that as a young child I devoured colorful and informative books, and made sure that everyone knew that I knew it and felt smart and important and whatnot. Also, there's a lot of parents that buy tanks for their children that know next to nothing on the subject themselves, and reading and learning the basics together ensures that they grow up understanding that goldfish don't live for five days in captivity--and that there's a rich and rewarding ownership besides feeding something that lives in an otherwise ignored water container.

Hehe it's a situation like this that I'm asking about it for.

 

[corykitty516]

I've looked for one like that myself to give to the kids I babysit but havent found anything. I've considered writing my own and having my sister illustrate it.


ummm... yeah.... like I have time between water changes, nursing school, husband, cat, and work.

 

[OohFeeshy]

However, most kiddies fish books show 2 goldies or more in a tiny bowl
You could always make your own on the PC, I'd imagine most books are too compicated for a kid that age. I mean print out some stuff on Word and bind it together.

 

[daza]

that's a good idea. you should get writing corykitty