Swimmy by Leo Lionni A happy school of little fish lived in a corner of the sea somewhere.

They were all red. One of them was as black as a mussel shell. He swam faster than his brothers and sisters. His name was Swimmy. One bad day a tuna fish, swift, fierce and very hungry, came darting through the waves. In one gulp he swallowed all the little red fish. Only Swimmy escaped. He swam away in the deep wet world. He was scared, lonely and very sad. But the sea was full of wonderful creatures, and as he swam from marvel to marvel Swimmy was happy again. He saw a medusa made of rainbow jelly A lobster, who walked about like a water-moving machine Strange fish, pulled by an invisible thread A forest of seaweeds growing from sugar-candy rocks An eel whose tale was almost too far away to remember And sea anemones, who looked like pink palm trees swaying in the wind. Then, hidden in the dark shade of rocks and weeds, he saw a school of little fish, just like his own. Lets go and swim and play and SEE things! He said happily. We cant, said the little red fish. The big fish will eat us all. But you cant just lie there, said Swimmy. We must THINK of something. Swimmy thought and thought and thought. Then suddenly he said, I have it! We are going to swim altogether like the biggest fish in the sea! He taught them to swim close together, each in his own place, and when they had learned to swim like one giant fish, he said, Ill be the eye. And so they swam in the cool morning water and in the midday sun and chased the big fish away.

The first thing I have to do is identify my theme. So what did I like about the story? I liked how Swimmy overcame his fear of the ocean by seeing how beautiful it was and then was brave enough to help others. So In his childrens story, Lionni teaches young readers that in order to see the beautiful world around them they must

overcome their fear and then they should actively help others do the same. That sounds like a pretty good theme! I need three body paragraphs.. In the beginning he was scared but overcame his fear, then he saw others afraid and would not allow it, and finally Swimmy helped the other fish to be brave. Sounds good! For an introduction I know I need: a grabber, TAG, summary of story, my three BP topics and then my thesis at the end. To come up with a grabber Im thinking of my own childhood. Being little, unsure, and standing in front of the ocean - it seemed so big and scary but once I went in I liked it more. Maybe I can use that. Often times in life, people find themselves standing on the edge of the shore, frightened to step into the unknown. A small child may dream up evil sea witches, monsters ready to chomp off tiny toes, and the darkness alone will keep her paralyzed where the sand and the water meet. And yet, once she dives in, a whole new world of fun, magic and mystery is uncovered. Similarly, Leo Lionni illuminates the rewards for overcoming ones fears through his childrens story Swimmy. A young fish survives a tuna fish attack and is left all alone only to uncover the beauties of the world and his own bravery. First, despite being alone and scared in the big ocean, Swimmy realizes the sea can be a beautiful place. When he finds other little fish that are scared, he refuses to let them hide in the dark and insists that they must see the ocean. Finally, Swimmy thinks up a crafty plan to help the fish go out in the open waters as well as gain more confidence. In his childrens story, Lionni teaches young readers that in order to see the beautiful world around them they must overcome their fear and then actively help others to do the same. I just copy and pasted the theme from what I had written already. Now I need to write the topic sentence for my first body paragraph. I need a transition word or phrase, the scene from the book Im going to talk about, and how that proves the theme.

In the beginning, readers see Swimmy overcome his original fear of the ocean once he sees new magical creatures, proving Lionnis theme that one must overcome ones fears in order to truly see the beauty in ones environment. Now to continue the paragraph I want to briefly explain my example and lead into my quotation. So I have to think about what happens BEFORE my quotation and build up to it. I also need to remember to use a lead-in instead of just dropping the quote into the paragraph as a sentence on his own. Swimmy is left all alone after a tuna fish eats all of his little red fish friends. At first Swimmy did not like being all by himself and was very sad (Lionni 1). Soon, though, Swimmy was able to see his new life as positive when he noticed new creatures he had never seen. He encounters a colorful medusa, a mechanical lobster, magical fish, seaweed that looked like candy and a long, long eel. Perhaps another fish would have been frightened by such sights, but as he swam from marvel to marvel Swimmy was happy again (Lionni 1). Once I add my quote I need to analyze the deeper meaning. The author wont tell us exactly what we need to know so I have to dig underneath the surface to figure out what I need to learn. Once I do that I can connect back to my theme. Not until Swimmy embraces his new adventure does he stop being afraid and start being happy. Through his emotions, one can tell that Swimmy has gone through quite a journey and is on the right track to being more brave and happy. Clearly, Lionni uses this to prove that like Swimmy, readers must learn to overcome their own fears because once one does they can appreciate the world around them which then leads to inner happiness.

First Body Paragraph DONE! Hurrah! That was so easy Ill just follow the same format for the other two body paragraphs. Ill start with my topic sentence and make sure I have a transition, the moment from the book I will discuss and the connection to the theme: Now that Swimmy has become brave and happy, once he encounters a new school of fish he will not settle for anything less for them either proving Lionnis theme that once one has overcome her own fears, she should help others in need as well. Then I add the context, the quotation, the analysis and the connection to the theme just like my first body paragraph: While Swimmy continues to discover new delights in the ocean, he sees a school of little red fish that are hiding in the shadows. He wants them to come play and explore with them but they refuse, fearing they will be on a bigger fishs lunch menu. Instead of letting them be, Swimmy exclaims, But you cant just lie therewe must THINK of something (Lionni 1). Given all that he has seen and done, Swimmy cannot fathom that other fish would not want to do the same. He refuses to let them stay hiding in the rocks and declares that something must be done. This further strengthens Lionnis theme that once one becomes brave she must help others to do the same. For my third body paragraph Ill do the same. Starting with my topic sentence: Finally, readers see Swimmys true growth when he helps the little red fish learn how to overcome their fears, solidifying the authors theme and what the reader must do in the future. Then I add the same components as before: context, the quotation, the analysis and the connection to the theme: Despite Swimmys use of we when he says they must come up with an idea, it seems that Swimmy is the only one who tries to come up with a solution. With his newfound confidence he cleverly describes how the little fish should swim together to look like a big fish. Swimmy does not just tell

them what to do but, taught them to swim (Lionni 1). Swimmy does not boss the other fish around but truly cares for their well-being. He takes the time to teach them how to swim together until they had learned to swim like one giant fish (Lionni 1). This proves that Swimmy has not only learned that what once seemed scary can be miraculous but also that others may need help and patience when overcoming their own fears. This encapsulates Lionnis theme and purpose for writing his childrens story: He wants young readers to learn early on how much control they have over their own fears as well as what they can accomplish when they are brave and helpful. Okay, so now that Im done with the body paragraphs I have to write the conclusion. The first sentence needs a transition and a reference to the general gist of the essay: In light of the above examples, readers are clearly shown the importance of seeing the beauty around them and helping others to do the same. Then I need to recap my three body paragraphs: At first alone and frightened, Swimmy quickly learns to see the world as magical instead of scary. As he continues on his journey his worries disappear and he becomes brave. When he comes upon a school of scaredyfish he refuses to let them hide and teaches them how to see the world for themselves. Now I need to think about the bigger picture and the overall idea of the story. I think Ill circle back to my intro and use the same idea as my clincher or epic finish. Whether a reader is four or forty-four, everyone can relate to Swimmys story. The fear of the unknown can truly be paralyzing and yet the payoff is big. Whether it is gaining the confidence to cross the street or the bravery to ask for a raise, all people struggle to overcome their own fears. And yet, Lionni feels that is not enough. People must look beyond themselves to not just the beauty of the world around them but the potential in others to overcome their fears. So next time a young girl is standing at the shores

edge, hopefully a friendly hand will come along to see her safe through the waves to the marvels beneath the surface. Oh, I teared up a little bit. Well done, Mrs. Kucaj!