Fish by Liam Francis Walsh

There is nothing really deep about this book Fish - it just fun, quirky and thoroughly delightful.

A full-bodied story with an economy of style, this will be particularly rewarding for emerging readers. Kirkus star review

A young boy and his dog go out to catch some fish in their small row boat. Wait a minute - are they catching actual fish? Their first success is the letter F. This is quickly followed by an I and an S. Are you thinking they need to catch one more letter? Yes the race is on to catch H. Other fish take the bait such as Q but it is just tossed back into the water. Finally the boy hooks that all important H but this is a very strong fish and the boy is pulled right out of the boat and into a shoal of other fish such as Vs, Ms, Bs and lots of Hs. Holding his breath the boy dives under the water twisting and turning until he finally grabs one H. Back in the boat we see the whole catch assembled FISH but there is danger on the horizon. Sinister triangle shapes are swimming towards the small boat along with a flock of flying Bs. The little boat nearly capsizes and now his boat is empty or is it? 

Now go back to look at the catch "F I S H".  Why was the boy fishing for those letters? The next scenes will utterly amaze and delight you!

This is a book to share with a young fisherman.  It is sure to become a firm favourite. Make sure after reading this book that you go back and look more closely at the cover, first page and title page. This book is listed as wordless but it is not quite without words and of course it is filled with letters. Fish was published in 2016 but it is still available and at a reduced price. Liam Francis Walsh is cartoonist from New York. Here is an interview with Liam about his book Fish.

I really like the colour palette used in this book of pale blue and red with black and white. The range of facial expressions of the young boy from happiness to frustration to victory will add to your delight. 

The pacing is spot-on, with full pages, spreads, and occasional panel art all working together to reel in the laughs, making this more than just another fish story.  Horn Book (quoted by Booktopia)

Wordlessly, but with plenty of visual wordplay, Walsh tells the tale of a boy with a great idea and his eagle-eyed companion with emotion, action, and lots of heart. Celebrate Picture Books

Here are some other fishing books to explore with younger readers: