The Great Fishing Contest - Hardcover

David Kherdian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399222634 ISBN 13: 9780399222634

Publisher: Philomel, 1991

Synopsis

After painstaking preparations with his friend Sammy, Jason enters the big fishing contest and follows a plan to discover where the biggest fish in the pond are hiding

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

For three summer weeks, narrator Jason and his best friend Sammy focus on the annual fishing contest in a shallow pond at the local zoo. Thoughtful, intelligent, they explore the angles. What if one of them wins the coveted spinning rod? They'll work together to earn a second rod, but not until after the contest; doing it sooner could jinx their luck with greed. Is it possible that larger fish swim at the fenced-off deeper end of the pond, out-of-bounds for the contest? Reasoning from the evidence leads to the conclusion that the fence is for people and the fish can swim beneath it--though large fish prefer the deep water. When the great day arrives, Jason contrives to get his bait beneath the fence and hook a record-breaking fish during the contest's last minutes. There the story abruptly ends, slyly leaving readers to debate the ethics of Jason's win. This will appeal most to ``deep thinkers'' like Jason and Sammy, intrigued as much by ``how'' and ``why'' as by the activity itself, but the natural-sounding dialogue and well- chosen details will also attract others--as will Hogrogian's luminous, exquisitely composed pictures of the friends companionably ruminating. A special book to share. (Fiction. 7- 11) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-- When school ends for the summer, best friends Jason and Sammy begin plotting their strategy for the annual fishing contest. The prize for catching the largest fish is a spinning rod. They decide that if either of them wins, both will do odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a spinning rod for the other. It is difficult to visualize a child who would be interested in this slow-paced story. There are also inconsistencies. When Jason chooses his fishing spot, he is standing next to the only girl in the contest. Although they say little to each other, there is tension in the air. When Jason does pull in the biggest fish, it's unlikely that she would say, "I knew you could do it." Hogrogian's pastel and watercolor illustrations are static and uninvolving. Although the contest takes place at midday, the drawings are somber and gloomy. The characters also seem isolated from one another and awkward; while they are supposedly conversing, they don't make eye contact. It's hard to believe that this book came from the author and illustrator of so many other favorite children's stories. --Rachel Fox, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0399222634
• ISBN 13: 9780399222634
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 46
• Illustrator: Nonny Hogrogian