Fire Pie Trout
Fifth House Publishers / Fitzhenry & Whiteside
By Melanie Mosher, illustrated by Renne Benoit
24 pages
age 5-8
Synopsis from Fitzhenry & Whiteside:
Grace loves being with her gramps, but there are things she is not so sure of: the dark; scary movies; trying new things she has never tried before. So when Gramps takes her fishing on a dark, foggy morning, she has her doubts — lots of them. How can she tell Gramps she’s not as keen on adventure as he is without spoiling their time together? Some bemused assurance from Gramps and a timely flash of creativity from Grace solve the problem and prove once and for all that no one is too young to go fishing or to face new challenges. Fire Pie Trout brings the warmth of a special family relationship and the excitement of growing just a little bigger to the darkest, foggiest of mornings.
Having one-on-one time with those important to us is key and sometimes how you spend that time isn’t as relevant. We find ourselves doing things we don’t really want to do but we do it to spend time with our friend, parent, grandparent. That seems to be the case with Grace in Fire Pie Trout. Who could blame her wanting to spend a day with her Gramps, walking together, talking and enjoying a lunch made just for the two of them.
I love how Grace tries to address her concern about fishing, or rather hooking a worm, in a subtle way so as to not upset Gramps. Ultimately she finds a solution on her own, adding a funny twist to their adventure together. From the special lunch Grace prepares on her own to the delightful conversation between Grace and her Gramps makes a heartwarming story about love and friendship.
Grandparents offer a unique relationship to kids, sharing a perspective on older traditions and skills, like fishing. In this way the story reminds me of the book The Old Ways. Our children can learn so much from our older generation. Although the illustrations aren’t a style I personally like, they fit perfectly with the foggy morning fishing adventure.
Additional Reading: How to Catch a Star.
You can find a copy of Fire Trout Pie from Fitzhenry & Whiteside or your local bookstore. Visit our Kid’s Books section for other great book recommendations.