Shark and the Goldfish
Book Report
I chose “The Shark And The Goldfish” by Jon Gordon for my book report. This book is about positive ways to thrive during waves of change and follows a goldfish named Gordy who washes out into the ocean. Gordy has always been taken care of and fed daily, but doesn’t know how to act or get food when he is in the ocean. He meets a nice shark named Sammy who teaches him how to find food and take care of himself. The story is a lesson for how you never know what life is going to throw at you and when a new challenge or change comes your way, it is up to you to embrace the change and learn to grow instead of viewing the change as a negative. The lingering question in the beginning of the story is are you a shark or a goldfish and how you can learn to become a shark if you tend to have more goldfish like tendencies. The story begins with Gordy the goldfish playing at the beach with his owner. It explains how Gordy lived a great life and didn’t have any worries. “He ate, slept, swam, and did twirls in the water any time his humans approached to feed him. He never wanted for anything, especially food. Food was abundant and he was prosperous. Life was good.” Everything changed when a big wave came onto the beach and carried Gordy out to sea. He was frightened and panicked, wondering who would feed him now. Not knowing how to gather food for himself, Gordy was nearly starved when he met Sammy the shark who decided he would teach Gordy how to act like a shark and get food for himself. Sammy explained to Gordy what he needed to change in order to survive in the ocean by saying, “Your problem is that you are a goldfish. You are waiting to be fed. That’s fine during the fat times when all sorts of people are feeding you. But you’re in the ocean now. Times are a changin’. Things are a little tougher here. You have to work a little harder. You need to be a little smarter. You need to change your thinking. You need to become a shark. Goldfish wait to be fed.
I chose “The Shark And The Goldfish” by Jon Gordon for my book report. This book is about positive ways to thrive during waves of change and follows a goldfish named Gordy who washes out into the ocean. Gordy has always been taken care of and fed daily, but doesn’t know how to act or get food when he is in the ocean. He meets a nice shark named Sammy who teaches him how to find food and take care of himself. The story is a lesson for how you never know what life is going to throw at you and when a new challenge or change comes your way, it is up to you to embrace the change and learn to grow instead of viewing the change as a negative. The lingering question in the beginning of the story is are you a shark or a goldfish and how you can learn to become a shark if you tend to have more goldfish like tendencies. The story begins with Gordy the goldfish playing at the beach with his owner. It explains how Gordy lived a great life and didn’t have any worries. “He ate, slept, swam, and did twirls in the water any time his humans approached to feed him. He never wanted for anything, especially food. Food was abundant and he was prosperous. Life was good.” Everything changed when a big wave came onto the beach and carried Gordy out to sea. He was frightened and panicked, wondering who would feed him now. Not knowing how to gather food for himself, Gordy was nearly starved when he met Sammy the shark who decided he would teach Gordy how to act like a shark and get food for himself. Sammy explained to Gordy what he needed to change in order to survive in the ocean by saying, “Your problem is that you are a goldfish. You are waiting to be fed. That’s fine during the fat times when all sorts of people are feeding you. But you’re in the ocean now. Times are a changin’. Things are a little tougher here. You have to work a little harder. You need to be a little smarter. You need to change your thinking. You need to become a shark. Goldfish wait to be fed.