A simple little book, this one has become popular for teaching poetic form, but I'm not sure that it will have general appeal beyond the classroom. It is a cute story which had me giggling a little -- a boy is going fishing with his dad and the younger sister horns in -- but it struggles a bit. One one hand, the author seems to be trying ~~really hard~~ to be didactic, on the other hand, she simplifies everything so much that the tale is a bit too sparse and the narrative structure of the story suffers. The problems come and go quickly with the climax being not so much of a climax. The meter is off in at least one poem and the descriptors at the back of the book are either too dumbed down to be exact or too specific and will go over the heads of the readers the book is targeted to. Don't get me wrong -- the story is short, sweet, and might make for a nice share (or even act-out), but I read it in under 20 minutes and came away only with the question of how many kids in my urban area would appreciate the nuances of a fishing trip. Artwork is great but dated. Felt more like a New Yorker cartoon than a children's book. Not bad, but not one to write home about (in poetry or prose).
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