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Summary
Summary
Perfect for fans of Mo Willems, this hilarious picture book explores feeling like the odd one out with bright and engaging art by New York Times bestselling illustrator Marc Rosenthal.
It's a beautiful day, and a group of friends are excited to spend it together. The woodland creatures can't wait to pile into their boat and go fishing! Or, at least, Bear, Porcupine, and Otter can't wait. They love fishing. Squirrel...does not.
Squirrel tags along with his enthusiastic friends, but is there anything they all love? Or is this fishing trip already sunk?
Author Notes
Ariel Bernstein is the author of I Have a Balloon and Where Is My Balloon? , both illustrated by Scott Magoon, as well as We Love Fishing! and You Go First , both illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. I Have a Balloon received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews , and it was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Where Is My Balloon? was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and We Love Fishing! received a starred review from Publishers Weekly . You Go First was a Junior Library Guild Selection, named a Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, and received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews . Ariel lives in New Jersey with her family. Learn more at ArielBernsteinBooks.com.
Marc Rosenthal is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including the Small Walt collection by Elizabeth Verdick, All You Need Is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal, We Love Fishing! and Mabel Wants a Friend by Ariel Bernstein, and Archie and the Pirates , which he wrote. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Learn more at Marc-Rosenthal.com.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Though pals Bear, Otter, and Porcupine profess the titular love of fishing, Squirrel, contrary to the insistence of Bernstein's (the Warren & Dragon series) perky narrator, does not: "Fish smell too fishy," he says, holding his nose, tongue out. But he joins his friends on their bucolic fishing expedition anyway, becoming increasingly cranky--about the walk through the woods to the water ("I stepped on a pebble"), the sheer boredom of sitting in the boat ("I ate all my nuts already. Nuts"), and the sudden rainstorm that Bear finds refreshing ("Rain makes my fur frizz"). When Squirrel lets Bear's big catch slide back into the water ("It's so slippery!"), the mood darkens for a moment, but the bonds of friendship are quickly restored--it helps when Squirrel summons a taxi and offers to pick up the dinner tab. Rosenthal (the Small Walt series) slyly sabotages his own sunny drawing style as he portrays the irritation that inevitably arises out of close relationships: Squirrel's misery is both relatable and funny, and the pals both oblivious and well meaning. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Mary Cummings, Betsy Amster Literary. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Feb.)
Horn Book Review
The deadpan narrator tells one story: "Bear, Porcupine, Otter, and Squirrel love fishing." Meanwhile, the pictures tell a slightly different version. While, in the cartoon spot art, Bear, Otter, and Porcupine do look lovingly at their fishing gear ("I love fishing"), Squirrel sulks over breakfast, a poster over the table declaring "I heart acorns." As the tale goes on, the gulf between the reiteration of "Bear, Porcupine, Otter, and Squirrel" all loving fishing and the pictures showing no such thing continues to widen. Squirrel hates the long walk, the fishy smell, the sitting around, and the fur-frizzing rain; the other creatures delight in every moment. Unfortunately, the day collapses for everyone when Squirrel accidentally drops their one slippery catch, and the wordless spread showing the four staring solemnly over the side of the boat as the happy fish swims away says everything. When Squirrel pulls out a cellphone to call a taxi and offers to buy dinner, it becomes clear, finally, that while all the friends may not always love fishing, everyone loves Squirrel (including the fish, one supposes). The exaggerated expressiveness in the bright illustrations, all the way to the fishy endpapers, makes the play between art and text especially enjoyable for sharing. Julie Roach March/April 2021 p.52(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
