SYNOPSIS

A young boy joins his dad for some middle-of-the-night fishing at a nearby pond before dad goes to work.

The fish will be tonight’s dinner for the family – money is tight even though dad works two jobs.

Son builds a fire and helps take the crappies off the hook.

And dad reminisces about fishing with his brother at home in Vietnam – before becoming an immigrant in a faraway country, before his brother’s disappearance…

PERFECT AGE 5 – 9

We love

• A loving ode to one’s father and origin story
• A “small” story really is full of meaning and significance not only for the boy but all of us readers
• Every page has opportunities to pause and ask questions, peel off layers of the story and its meaning
• As an immigrant, I tear up every time I read this book.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• How are the classmate’s and the boy’s descriptions of dad’s English different? How do they make you feel?
• There’s a Posted sign when dad and son cross the divider toward the pond – what could this mean?
• What do you think the boy enjoys most about this adventure with his dad? What could be dad’s favorite parts?
• The narrator describes the family’s dinner in the future tense – why do you think that is?