Synopses & Reviews
For fishing tomorrow its just us two.
Not Mom, not Grandpa,
not Lucy.
Itll be like playing catch or
Painting the garage.
Just Dad and Me.
Fishing.
Using a wide variety of poetic forms - quatrains, ballads, iambic meter, rhyming lists, concrete poetry, tercets and free verse -this debut author tells the story of a nine-year-old boys day of fishing. Sibling rivalry, the bond between father and son, the excitement - and difficulty -- of fishing all add up to a day of adventure any child would want to experience.
Matthew Cordell illuminates this novel-in-verse throughout with his energetic black-and-white line drawings.
While each poem can be read and enjoyed on its own, the poems work together to create a story arc with conflict, crisis, resolution and character growth.
The back matter of this book equips the reader with a Poet's Tackle Box of tools and definitions for understanding the various poetic forms the author uses in this story.
Review
Packed with the intensity of everyday pain and sorrow, kids and adults exchange the words that convey grief, delight, love and acceptance of themselves and others.
Kirkus Reviews
The poems successfully navigate the complicated terrain for those who seek forgiveness.
Publishers Weekly
"Sidman's collection could help young poets express themselves and learn from their mistakes." Book Links January 2008 Book Links, ALA
"Delicate, mixed-media illustrations...add touches of whimsy and wit to these delightful missives." SLJ December 2007 School Library Journal
Review
"Just the thing for readers with a burgeoning interest in poetry—or angling."
—Publishers Weekly
Review
"Just the thing for readers with a burgeoning interest in poetryand#8212;or angling."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"A playful verse narrative of the joys and perils of a family fishing trip. . . . This tender, well-crafted sibling story should hook many readers."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Engaging verse that's just the right depth and length for chapter-book readers. . . A solid, entertaining story to hook children on poetry."
and#8212;Booklist
"All of Sam's episodes take the form of poems, each discreetly labeled by its poetic form, which is then defined at the end of the book. . . most will enjoy the notion that there are as many ways to tell a tale as to catch a fish."
and#8212;Bulletin
"This novel in verse successfully builds a story filled with anticipation, family humor, and sibling rivalry. . . . Wissinger deftly plies her craft to ensure that the use of poetry enhances the readability of the story"
and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
Review
This tender exploration of the classic lost-friend story not only breathes new life into a well-worn message but also manages to make its metaphor into a lively literal experience.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred
In this slow, quiet story, a lonely boy discovers that friends come and go...Its message should appeal to kids with both real and imaginary friends.
Kirkus Reviews
The narrative has a natural flow, told in clear language...young children will enjoy the simplicity of the story.
School Library Journal
Cordell's austere ink-and-watercolor pictures, combined with his keen sense of composition, gives Toby's struggle texture and pacing.
15MinutesMagazine.com
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
When Mrs. Merz asks her sixth grade class to write poems of apology, they end up liking their poems so much that they decide to put them together into a book. Not only that, but they get the people to whom they apologized to write poems back.
In haiku, pantoums, two-part poems, snippets, and rhymes, Mrs. Merzand#8217;s class writes of crushes, overbearing parents, loving and losing pets, and more. Some poets are deeply sorry; some not at all. Some are forgiven; some are not. In each pair of poems a relationship, a connection, is revealed.
Synopsis
Join nine-year-oldand#160;Catfish Sam as he captures a day of adventure in his netand#8212;and in verse and#8212; in this unique middle grade novel told through poems and comic illustrations.
Synopsis
Nine-year-old Sam loves fishing with his dad. So when his pesky little sister, Lucy, horns in on their fishing trip, heand#8217;s none too pleased: and#8220;Whereand#8217;s my stringer? / Somethingand#8217;s wrong! / The princess doll does not belong!and#8221; All ends well in this winsome book of poemsand#8212;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 foundand#8212;and most of all, of delicious anticipation. Charming line drawings animate the poetry with humor and drama, and the extensive Poetand#8217;s Tackle Box at the end makes this the perfect primer to hook aspiring poets of all ages.
Synopsis
This book is full of monos, ratons, and osos. Whatand#8217;s that, you say? You donand#8217;t know what a mono is? What about a rio, some pelo, or even an and#225;rbol? No? Still no idea? You should read this libro, then. By the time you finish, youand#8217;ll be able to recognize and understand more than fifty simple Spanish words. Youand#8217;ll be saying, and#147;Mas, por favor!and#8221; You may even ask your papand#225; to buy you a gato or pato. (But not your papa. Potatoes canand#8217;t buy pets.)
Synopsis
When friends move away, it is hard for them to leave and even harder to watch them go. Tobyand#8217;s best friend moved yesterday, and now all Toby has is his friendand#8217;s baseball glove (which smells like Parmesan cheese). Toby is bored and alone. But then the snow starts to fall, and Toby finds an unexpected flurry of friends . . .
With humor and warmth, Julie Halpern and Matthew Cordell tell the story of one little boy who learns about friendship, change, and the nature of the snowflake.
About the Author
Tamera Wissinger was inspired to write this novel-in-verse after writing "Night Crawlers," a poem that stemmed from her fun childhood memories of night crawler hunting with her dad before fishing trips. A graduate of Hamline Universitys MFA Writing for Children program, Tamera Wissinger shares her time between Chicago and Florida. This is her first book.Mattthew Cordell and his brother Eric were all-around best buds. They grew up in a small town in South Carolina, where his family would often take fishing trips together. Matthew lives in Illinois with his family. He is the illustrator of Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg and Justin Case by Rachel Vail.