Fishing in the Air

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Story...Beautiful Artwork
Review: A young boy and his dad get up very early one morning while the sky is still blue black. They make sandwiches, dig worms, pack the car and set off on their first fishing trip. As his father tells him, "We're going on a journey to a secret place. We'll catch the air! We'll catch the breeze!" But what they really catch are memories and the special bond between father and son..... Sharon Creech's first picture book is a beautifully written story full of imagery and magic. Her powerful writing comes alive on the page. You can actually feel the "bubble of breeze", see the "sliver of sky and white white cloud" and feel the "clear cool river that ripples over stones". Christopher Raschka's colorful, busy illustrations compliment the story perfectly and capture your imagination as they swirl around the page. This is a gentle, simple, moving story, perfect for youngsters 4-8, that will bring generations closer together and is sure to become a classic in the years ahead.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I bought this book for my younger children (ages 4 and 7) and have tried several times to read it to them. Unfortunately, it simply does not hold their attention. I agree with the other reviewer that the illustrations undermine the impact of a nice little story. While I think the illustrations are somewhat interesting, my children cannot see what I am reading in the confusing and disjointed images. They quickly become bored (an unusual reaction for them).

Rating:
Summary: THE JOY OF CHILDHOOD!
Review: Instead of "time outs", spending more time with your children, is the focus of this book. In it, a father and son bond by going fishing together. Out in the peaceful solitude of this natural setting they catch fish, and let their imaginations soar as they cast their lines into shimmering water. Lovely paintings highlight this charming story. Much like "Where Do Balloons Go?", by Jaime Lee Curtis, "Guardian Angels" by Naomi Judd, and "A Boy's Summer:Father and Son Together", by Gerry Spence. All four books are delightful and stir memories of the joy and simplicity of childhood.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Instead of "time outs", spending more time with your children, is the focus of this book. In it, a father and son bond by going fishing together. Out in the peaceful solitude of this natural setting they catch fish, and let their imaginations soar as they cast their lines into shimmering water. Lovely paintings highlight this charming story. Much like "Where Do Balloons Go?", by Jaime Lee Curtis, "Guardian Angels" by Naomi Judd, and "A Boy's Summer:Father and Son Together", by Gerry Spence. All four books are delightful and stir memories of the joy and simplicity of childhood.

Rating:
Summary: Take a breath of morning air...
Review: Just read the first page of this book and you are immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of an early summer morning. Share some special moments with a father and child as they watch the world wake up. Creech creates wonderful and imaginative images of nature. When you open this book, take a deep breath and get ready for a taste of summer.

Rating:
Summary: Illustrations do not match story
Review: The story is touching and has a nice message. However, the garish, ugly, busy pictures undermine the impact of the story. Imagine what this book would have been like if Wendell Minor had done the illustrations! Instead, the illustrations with their dreadful colors and awful images confuse and alienate children who are the assumed target audience. This will not be a book a child would be naturally drawn to and would stay on most library shelves, which is unfortunate since the story is so delightful.

Rating:
Summary: Illustrations do not match story
Review: The story is touching and has a nice message. However, the garish, ugly, busy pictures undermine the impact of the story. Imagine what this book would have been like if Wendell Minor had done the illustrations! Instead, the illustrations with their dreadful colors and awful images confuse and alienate children who are the assumed target audience. This will not be a book a child would be naturally drawn to and would stay on most library shelves, which is unfortunate since the story is so delightful.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful story
Review: This book makes me sentimental. My pop took me on a fishing trip when I was little. And though we didn't try and "fish in the air", he did spend a lot of time telling me of his home town in Italy and how he learned how to fish. This book brings it all out again, in gorgeous illustrations and and powerful verse.

It doesn't matter if you have never fished in your life. Get this book for your father.