Genre
Children’s adventure
Setting and Context
Planet Earth
Narrator and Point of View
Unnamed narrator
Tone and Mood
Light-hearted, comedic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The unnamed narrator and his sister and their pet Mike are the protagonists. There are no antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict comes in the form of Ned, a chronic complainer who whines about everything from all the animals running about to the size of his bed.
Climax
The book ends with the children finishing their adventure in naming the different fishes and feeling immensely satisfied with themselves.
Foreshadowing
The different fish that the children identify as well as their experiences with the different creatures, foreshadows the types of people they will meet when they grow up.
Understatement
Ned, the pet, is understated as being a true friend. Many may ignore his efforts as he is simply a pet but he goes above and beyond to help the unnamed narrator and his sister throughout the story.
Allusions
Allusions to Seuss' other works, in particular with reference to the imaginary creatures.
Imagery
Ned is portrayed as being a fussy and whiny person who is never happy to have fun.
Paradox
Ned and the children and Mike are at paradox because their personality is so different. Ned detests adventure and fun and games, whereas the children and Mike adore it.
Parallelism
There are many parallels to the real world, most specifically through the physical representation of the different fishes as a reference to the different people one may meet throughout their lifetime.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
