Fishing Sunday - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3?A young Japanese-American boy is embarrassed to be seen in public with his grandfather. On their Sunday fishing trips, the old man dresses in tattered clothes and walks barefoot, exposing ugly feet with sharp black toenails. On the boat, he begs the fish to come to him; when they do, he thanks them. But then one Sunday, the boy hears another fisherman imitating his grandfather, and even catching a fish, so he tries fish-talk himself. No luck, but Grandfather sees the boy's disappointment, comforts him, and gives him a fish-hook he has fashioned out of bone. The boy sees the beauty of the hook, and begins to see his grandfather in another light. Was it the gift that changed the boy's view? Or Grandfather's love? Or the respect shown by other fishermen? Johnston leaves it up to readers to decide. The illustrations, done in watercolor and gouache, are aglow with the sun and alive with the waves, and clouds, and the faces of the people. It is in the faces that the drama of the story can be seen?Grandfather's love of life and of his grandson, the boy's growth from resignation to wonder and to love. It's a heartening story about the possibility of change.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.