Feed Me Books Friday: Family Fishing

Catching Some Fun

B loves any activity that means he gets to hang out with the big guys, so he was thrilled when Daddy suggested a whole weekend of REAL fishing at a REAL river. I emphasize real because B does a lot of role-playing, which includes pretend fishing. Daddy brought home a Spiderman fishing rod from a trip to the sporting goods store a couple years ago already. It has a plastic fish on the end of the line, and B has used it to practice casting out of his treehouse, into the pool, and sitting in the bed of the truck in the driveway. When we arrived at the river and Daddy set up the lines, B didn’t have a lot of patience for letting his line attract a bite, but he did enjoy doing some casting with a REAL fishing pole!


Some Kid Expertise

The book I picked to set the mood for our fishing weekend was actually one we’d borrowed before from the library. It is a fun blend of fiction and non-fiction from a boy’s point of view. If you have a fishing family – or think you might want to give it a shot, check out A Good Day’s Fishing, by James Prosek. When I decided to check out the book again in preparation for our fishing weekend, I checked to see if there were any similar books by the author and discovered that Prosek is actually an accomplished fisherman who has written several books for adults, and illustrated several of them with the same beautiful watercolors you’ll find in his picture book. The text is written simply and progresses as the child searches through his tackle box for the item he needs. As he identifies tools in the box, he also identifies some of the fish these specialized tools are made to catch. Some of the items he discovers (like a rotting sandwich) add humor and make the narrator a realistic young boy. In good picture book form, the missing item is located on the last page of the story, and it will bring a smile to your face, but I think I’ll leave it to you to discover. Definitely some cognitive development if you focus on all the fishing vocabulary (if that is indeed your focus, be aware these are mainly fly-fishing tools). I was after the preparation and rehearsal tool – getting our cognitive schema in line for our weekend activities – and it totally fit the bill.

Appropriate for: preschoolers, primary grades


A programming note: I’ll be posting about some of our Thanksgiving reading choices on Tuesday next week, so be sure to stop by to check out our books and a couple crafts. I won’t be posting on Thursday or Friday (I’ll be enjoying the holiday – hope you will too!) But I will put up a linky on Wednesday, and you are welcome to add an early post or drop in over the weekend if you have some time. I’ll be sure to visit after the bustle of the holiday. If you choose to take the week off, hope you’ll be back in December!


Please share your book recommendations by linking up, and visit some of the other links to find some great suggestions!