Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger - ADVISABLE

Wissinger, Tamera Will. Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse, illustrated by Matthew Cordell.  119 pages.  Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2013.  Content: G. 

Sam is looking forward to going fishing with his dad and is not happy when his little sister Lucy tags along.   Lucy catches the first fish (not Sam) and then seven more.  Finally, Sam catches a catfish: “Maybe fishing’s kind of fun / Maybe I’ll be back.  / Maybe I can catch some more / Now I have the knack!”  Lucy cheers for Sam’s catch and he realizes: “Maybe I was wrong / about bringing her along.”   Lucy tells everyone about how Sam caught his big catfish and calls him a “hero.”  Sam concludes with: “Next time we’re going fishing I hope / she can come along.”  The overall story is simple and relatable, but what makes this novel in verse stand out is the many different type of poems: acrostic, ballad, blues, cinquain, complaint, concrete, counting, couplet, curse…just to name a few.  At the end, the author defines the different type of poetic forms and poetic techniques, such as, alliteration and anaphora.  The cartoon illustrations are a perfect companion to the poems and add to the humor and fun. 

EL K-3 – ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.