Down by the River: A Family Fly Fishing Story

One beautiful autumn day, Art sets out with his mother and grandfather for a fishing trip. Fishing days are Art’s favorite. He loves learning the ropes from Grandpa — the different kinds of flies and tackle and the trout that frequent their favorite river. Art especially appreciates Grandpa’s stories. But, this time, hearing the story about Mom’s big catch on her first cast ever makes Art feel insecure about his own fishing skills. But, as Art hooks a beautiful brown trout, he finds reassurance in Grandpa’s stories and marvels in the sport and a day spent with family, promising to continue the tradition with his own grandkids generations later.

Illustrated with lush imagery by rising star April Chu, Down by the River celebrates fishing, family, and fun.

"Patient text for a patient sport, this is a quiet book that rewards. The stream and fish draws each generation to it. Makes me want to wade and wait and watch." Nikki McClure, author/illustrator of Collect Raindrops: The Seasons Gathered

"This is a beautiful book; fun and informative to read, lovely to look at and simple enough for kids without being simplistic. I’d recommend it to children with an interest in fly-fishing or to parents who’d like to spark that interest. For that matter, I’d also recommend it to some of my more extreme fly-fishing friends for its humble, humane view of a sport that sometimes gets too fast-paced and competitive." John Gierach, bestselling author of A Fly Rod of Your Own

"This is a much needed and beautiful introduction, through story and drawings, to the wondrous world of fly fishing. Weiner's text weaves a lovely tale of a family outing on the river with detailed but not overwhelming technical information about our much loved past-time. With dialog and instruction between a boy, his mother and his grandfather (accompanied by their dog!) Down by the River connects us to nature as well as to a fabled tradition of angling literature originating with Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler of 1653. April Chu's drawings are exquisite!" James Prosek, author of Trout: An Illustrated History and Trout of the World

"I read Down by the River to my five-year-old granddaughter before fishing the next day. She loved it. It added a lot of excitement and knowledge to her fishing experience." Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia Inc.

Andrew "Andy" Weiner is a longtime publishing professional and an avid fly-fisher. He lives in Albany, California.

April Chu is an architect and an illustrator of children’s books, including Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine and In a Village by the Sea. She lives in Oakland, California.