WINDOW FISHING

A whimsical ode to finding friendship in unexpected places.

Rudeday, an artist, spends his days toiling for a paycheck but fears that his work “will never bring people joy.” Hearing a “TAP! TAP! TAP” at his window, Rudeday attempts to ignore it. However, he is unable to resist the invitation to play that has arrived in the form of an improvised fishing line made from string and a paper clip descending from the apartment above his studio. He draws a charming picture of a fish, which he sends back up to the mysterious fisher. Rudeday and his neighbor begin their fishing game in earnest, and the artist taps into his creativity to create a veritable aquarium of colorful fish to send up on the line. As mysteriously as it began, the window fishing game ends, and Rudeday is plunged back into his humdrum daily routine. Weeks later, a young boy named Amir stops by Rudeday’s apartment to thank him for cheering him up with the fish drawings while he was sick. Rudeday thanks Amir for reminding him that art can be fun. Gutierrez’s acrylic illustrations invoke movement and playfulness; with swirling linework and bright colors, they have a mural-like feeling. Rudeday reads as Latine; Amir has brown skin and an Afro hairstyle. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet story of connection and rekindling artistic passion.