Fishing in the Air

Beautiful prose, wonderful illustrations--I've been a fan of Sharon Creech's young adult books for a while, but I was caught off-guard by how much I loved this children's book.

Wonderful language and striking, whimsical illustrations! I used this book in a tutoring session in which the child picked the book out on her own. We were able to find many examples of similes and metaphors, as well repetition. There were inferences that could be made which is another higher level thinking skill best suited for the older elementary students. I would use this book with 2nd grade and older for these reasons.

Just read the first page of this book and you are immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of an early summer morning. Share some special moments with a father and child as they watch the world wake up. Creech creates wonderful and imaginative images of nature. When you open this book, take a deep breath and get ready for a taste of summer.

A young boy and his dad get up very early one morning while the sky is still blue black. They make sandwiches, dig worms, pack the car and set off on their first fishing trip. As his father tells him, "We're going on a journey to a secret place. We'll catch the air! We'll catch the breeze!" But what they really catch are memories and the special bond between father and son..... Sharon Creech's first picture book is a beautifully written story full of imagery and magic. Her powerful writing comes alive on the page. You can actually feel the "bubble of breeze", see the "sliver of sky and white white cloud" and feel the "clear cool river that ripples over stones". Christopher Raschka's colorful, busy illustrations compliment the story perfectly and capture your imagination as they swirl around the page. This is a gentle, simple, moving story, perfect for youngsters 4-8, that will bring generations closer together and is sure to become a classic in the years ahead.

This book makes me sentimental. My pop took me on a fishing trip when I was little. And though we didn't try and "fish in the air", he did spend a lot of time telling me of his home town in Italy and how he learned how to fish. This book brings it all out again, in gorgeous illustrations and and powerful verse. It doesn't matter if you have never fished in your life. Get this book for your father.