Illustrated by Chris Raschka

I. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Creech, Sharon. 2000. FISHING IN THE AIR. Ill. By Chris Raschka. Harper Collins. ISBN: 0060281111

II. PLOT SUMMARY

In this lyrical book about a son fishing with his father, the father and son create special memories. The boy and his father set out in the blue-black morning with their fishing gear in tow. They arrive at the river, and the father teaches his son about fishing. The father reflects on his own childhood. Sharon Creech’s story is about far more than fishing. It is about the bond between a father and a son.

III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In FISHING IN THE AIR, Sharon Creech’s words are lyrical. She utilizes figurative language in the form of metaphors, adding both emotion and richness of meaning to the story. In her story, street lamps become moons, trees become soldiers and birds become angels. The book captures the curiosity of a young boy learning about his father and fishing and ultimately becomes a story about using your imagination.

The illustrations by Chris Raschka are rich with color and detail. They are whimsical and somewhat abstract, using swirls of color to frame the story. The illustrations visually represent the metaphors described in the text of the story.

This book is rich with imagination in both the text and illustrations. The poetic use of metaphors may be confusing to young children, but it could be a teaching tool for older children learning about figures of speech. The book is best read close up, to take in the detail of the illustrations as the story moves along.

IV. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“While the text and images are evocative and memorable, this book is likely to have more appeal to adults than to concrete-minded youngsters. Fanciful conceits such as catching "a slice of yellow sun" and a "white white cloud" may be more confusing than meaningful to a young audience.”—School Library Journal

“Creech's narrative is more poetry than prose; her quicksilver description and quietly repetitive phrases serve to deepen the growing connection between father and son, and her images are made for Raschka's brush. Author and artist evoke an idyllic outing between parent and child and demonstrate that while they may return empty-handed, their hearts are full.”—Publisher’s Weekly

V. CONNECTIONS

**Have children write their own simile or metaphor and illustrate it.
**Collect other books illustrated by Raschka including THE HELLO GOODBYE WINDOW, TALK TO ME ABOUT THE ALPHABET, and LITTLE TREE. Compare and contrast the illustrations.