Good Day's Fishing
Kindergarten-Grade 3-The author of the decidedly handsome adult book Trout (Knopf, 1996) turns his careful pen and deft paintbrush to an equally handsome work for children. Here, a young narrator conveys his love of fishing by describing the contents of his tackle box and identifying the species that each lure is designed to catch. A spinner (for perch), flies "tied from furs and feathers" (for trout), and a variety of hooks ("Aren't they cool?") are among the equipment presented in the very brief text and luminous watercolors. At the end, the child digs out the item most essential for "a good day's fishing"-"my hat." A five-page glossary carefully defines the wide variety of lures portrayed, from spinners to spoons, dry flies to jigs. This title will appeal to readers who enjoyed such offerings as William T. George's attractive Fishing at Long Pond (Greenwillow, 1991; o.p.) and Nina Kidd's suspenseful June Mountain Secret (HarperCollins, 1991; o.p.), but are not yet ready for the complexities of Jim Arnosky's colorful Freshwater Fish & Fishing (Scholastic, 1982) or his personal Flies in the Water, Fish in the Air (HarperCollins, 1986; o.p.). Prosek's book is a special treat that may lure to the surface the ever-hopeful fisherperson lurking in youngsters' inner depths.Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.