STANLEY GOES FISHING

Meet Stanley, a fellow who sees things differently, as in his two previous stories, Stanley Goes for a Drive (2005) and Stanley Mows the Lawn (2004). One day he goes fishing. He puts his boat in the stream and rows to all the best fishing spots—but no strikes. Then he has an idea: He changes the direction of his casts, catching fish after fish—out of the sky, and then returns them to the water. It is Stanley’s best fishing day ever. The intriguing hand and digitally colored illustrations reflect a retro look of 1940s/1950s posters. The flat dimension has a collage effect, enhanced with surprising compositions and unusual perspectives that elongate Stanley’s body, making his head disproportionately small with black dots for eyes and an orange triangle nose. Frazier, a noted graphic designer, imaginatively challenges kids to think outside the stream in this fish tale with a clever hook. A visual conundrum that accentuates the “art” of looking at the world in different ways. (Picture book. 5-8)