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Summary
Summary
A father and his little girl set out early one morning to go fishing. The girl watches her father closely, noticing how he plucks the worms from the soil with his bare hands, not with a trowel as she does. How he casts his fishing line far out into the lake, while she drops hers over the side of the boat. How patient he is waiting for the fish to bite, while she is restless. His way does not match hers, but that's just fine. In the end she gives Papa an affectionate pat on the back when he catches a fish, just as he patted her back earlier when she caught one.
The happy spirit of this father-daughter outing is fully captured in comforting earth-toned illustrations.
Author Notes
Kate Banks is the author of many books for children, among them Max's Words , And If the Moon Could Talk , winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and The Night Worker , winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She grew up in Maine, where she and her two sisters and brother spent a lot of time outdoors, and where Banks developed an early love of reading. "I especially liked picture books," she says, "and the way in which words and illustrations could create a whole new world in which sometimes real and other times magical and unexpected things could happen." Banks attended Wellesley College and received her masters in history at Columbia University. She lived in Rome for eight years but now lives in the South of France with her husband and two sons, Peter Anton and Maximilian.
Lauren Castillo 's first picture book, What Happens on Wednesdays by Emily Jenkins, was declared "an extremely promising debut" in a starred review from Booklist. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A father and his daughter start their fishing day by going into the woods to look for earthworms. Her methods are all her own since, "that's my way." Papa picks up worms with his fingers; she scoops them up with a shovel. This is a quiet story, just the telling of the small pleasures that make up an outing on the lake. Both catch fish and go home to have dinner with mom and baby brother. The illustrations in pastel and ink are perfect for conveying the sense of calm that the story requires. The full-bleed spreads show the expanse of the water and the pines, and the depiction of the wildlife is just detailed enough to be naturalistic. The only thing that really happens here is that a father and a daughter spend a lovely day together. And that's something to celebrate.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
A little girl and her father prepare for a day of fishing. Papa picks up earthworms with his fingers--"That's his way"--while the girl uses her shovel--"That's my way." The soothing text and serene illustrations in a palette of blues, greens, and browns reflect the peaceful quietude of a day on the lake, then home by sunset. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Father and daughter head out to fish in the early dawn; Papa picks up the earthworms with his fingers, while the narrator scoops them with her shovel. He whistles as he rows, "because that's Papa's way," and she sings "Whoosh" with the waves, because that's her way. Banks's gentle, present-tense narration captures the specificity of the moment, as Papa lands a fish and narrator holds her breath, hoping she'll get a bite. Their understanding of each other is deep and intimate, evident in both text and Castillo's illustrations. Her soft, reassuringly thick outlines contain this happy pair, even as they are cradled within their boat, which in turn is held gently by the waves. Thick, matte stock completes the warmly rumpled look of this loving snapshot. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
As the sun rises, a young girl and her father dig for earthworms in the woods, collect oars and life jackets, and row onto the lake for a day of fishing. In spare lines, the girl describes the day's fun, noting the differences that make her and her dad unique. For example, Papa picks up worms with his fingers ( that's his way ), but the girl prefers to use her shovel ( that's my way ). What dad and daughter share is their affection for each other: when Papa gives his daughter an end-of-day hug, she says, I hug him back, because that's my way, too. Small sensory details evoke the lake-house setting, from the sound of twigs snapping underfoot to the feel of the wind pushing the boat. But it's the quiet, understated love between a parent and child that kids will connect with most. As in Emily Jenkins' What Happens on Wednesdays (2007), Castillo's winning artwork, rendered in thick charcoal lines and textured layers of paint, finds realistic, reassuring tenderness in a family's everyday activities.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2009 Booklist
