Fishing Day
Kindergarten-Grade 4-A story of differences and similarities, compassion and generosity. Reenie and her mom, who are black, love to fish from the banks of the aptly nicknamed Jim Crow River. Peter and his dad, who are white, fish at the same river. However, the two families never speak to one another because, as the girl's mother reminds her, "We and white folks have kept our distance here, for as long as memory serves." While the females catch fish, the males are frustrated in their attempts. They need help, and Reenie decides to take the initiative and offer the boy some assistance and advice when he is alone. Evans takes Pinkney's words and transforms them into powerfully expressive images. Readers will easily identify with the emotions of the characters, and gain a sense of time and place. The illustrations spill across double pages in Evans's characteristic warm shades of blue, brown, green, and gold. The river flows across most of the spreads, sometimes at the top, other times at the center or bottom of the page. This heartwarming story has broad appeal and ends on a hopeful note; the children are no longer the strangers that they once were. In an author's note, Pinkney explains the term "Jim Crow" and how she came to write this book.Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.