Review: Gone Fishing (Wissinger)

Title: Gone Fishing: a novel in verse

Author: Wissinger
Genre: Poetry, Families, Vacation, Fishing, Picture Books

Pages: 120
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ages: 1st-4th grades, families

This is so much fun from start to finish! Sam has been looking forward to this fishing trip with his dad for a long time. And then his little sister Lucy gets to come along (and surely she will ruin everything, right?!). The family adventure is told in poetic "chapters," each a different form of verse, interspersed with humorous black-and-white illustrations.

From the Publisher: 

Nine-year-old Sam loves fishing with his dad. So when his pesky little sister, Lucy, horns in on their fishing trip, he's none too pleased: Where's my stringer? / Something's wrong! / The princess doll does not belong! All ends well in this winsome book of poems-each labeled with its proper poetic form, from quatrain to tercet. Together the poems build a dawn-to-dusk story of a father-son bond, of sibling harmony lost and found-and most of all, of delicious anticipation. Charming line drawings animate the poetry with humor and drama, and the extensive Poet's Tackle Box at the end makes this the perfect primer to hook aspiring poets of all ages.

Not really too much more to say. This is a must read for anyone who loves poetry. Or fishing. A great beginning chapter book for new readers. A fun story that will resonate with anyone who's had a little sibling "ruin" the day. And, what fun it would be to use in an elementary classroom.