Fishing in the Air

by Sharon Creech, Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Overview

Early in the blue-black morning, a father and son slip out of the house with their fishing poles and a can of worms. But this is no ordinary fishing trip. With their lines and bobbers, they cast high into the air to catch the breeze, the sky, the sun, and best of all — some wonderful memories.

In her first picture book, Sharon Creech, author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, teams up with Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka to create a beautifully lyrical and richly imagined tale about the powerful bond between a father and son.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060516062
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/15/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.

Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says.

www.sharoncreech.com

Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals—one for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation five times. He lives in New York City with his family.

Hometown:

Pennington, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

July 29, 1945

Place of Birth:

Cleveland, Ohio

Education:

B.A., Hiram College, 1967; M.A., George Mason University, 1978

Editorial Reviews

"Author and artist are as inextricably linked as the father and son they portray in this moving meditation on the importance of memories and tradition," wrote PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Sharon Creech demonstrates her versatility as a writer for children in this unique look at life and sharing in the great outdoors (HarperCollins, 2000). In this story illustrated by Chris Rashka, a father and son embark on a secret early morning adventure. Through the father's words, the boy can imagine his father's childhood. The father's tale of his childhood home, growing up surrounded by nature and fishing with his father, becomes the boy's own story. The father's subtle comments turn the boy's imagination into a visual feast. Through Jason Harris's mellow reading, the story becomes a celebration of sights, sounds, smells, feelings, and flavors. Harris has a smooth tone, giving the father and son the same voice. After enjoying a day outdoors together, the father and boy realize the similarity in their own histories and their mutual love of nature. Since the spirited illustrations strongly support the text, the book must be available for listeners. A good choice to present father-son relationships and strong male role models.-Sherrie Davidson, Lyn Knoll Elementary School, Aurora, CO Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A father shows his son how to "catch" something far better than fish in Newbery-winner Creech's (The Wanderer, p. 379, etc.) first picture book. The young narrator recalls an outing—a journey, as his father promises, to a secret place that turns out to be a riverbank where bubbles of breeze, slices of sun, and vivid memories of another boy and another time hover, waiting to be pulled in on the child's hookless fish line. With dancing swirls and dabs of color, bodies arching across spreads as gracefully as dolphins, and images of past and present flowing together, Raschka (Ring! Yo?, 306, etc.) exuberantly echoes and amplifies the intensity of the shared experience. At the father's suggestions, streetlights become tiny moons; trees in a row transform into soldiers; and recollections of a boyhood home, other fields, and another father swim into view. Creech's prose is rich in flowing rhythms, tinged with sentiment, and no less replete with evocative images than the pictures. " ‘Oh,' my father said again. / ‘Where is that father / and that boy?' / I reeled in my line. / ‘Right here,' I said, / and he turned to look at me, / as I cast my line again / so high, so far." A rare episode, with layers of meaning for readers of several generations. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Fishing gear, food, and river, along with father and son, are featured in this magical childhood tale. Jason Harris characterizes the son with a high voice and uses his normal speaking voice for the father. Natural features turn into other objects: trees into soldiers, birds into angels. Insect sounds enhance the story. The sound of the crickets chirping brings listeners right into the woods with father and son. The page-turning sounds on one side are loud and clear, facilitating use by young listeners. A.G.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 04 - AudioFile