A Season for Fishin’ – Perfect Picture Book Friday – Jilanne Hoffmann

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Hold onto your hats, overalls, and fishin’ poles, folks! Today we’re heading down to Ol’ Cane River to witness a coming of age story that will fill your heart and plate to overflowing.

Theres a rush in the water.
Ol' Cane River, she smiles.
I smile too.
She closes her eyes,
sways
back and forth,
back and forth.
Ol' Cane murmurs...
         Welcome to Fish Fry Friday, Cher.

Read that again—out loud. Sway with those cattails. Back and forth. Back and forth. Sway with the rhythm of the incantation. Then take a dip. Baptize yourself in the waters of Ol’ Cane River. Become a believer!

Before we read this next stanza (because, yes, this is poetry), LOOK at the joy on Cher’s face! Oh, my. Feel the rush of wind bringing the time and tide of change.

Cane River calls.
Sister Wind brushes curtains
against my cheek.
But I'm already awake.
Ol' Sun peeks, then winks at me.
I know why.
Today is Fish Fry Friday.

Can you feel/see it?! Cher’s eagerness feeds off the wind, the wink of Ol’ Sun. It’s infectious, jumps off the page, and I can’t wait to see what Fish Fry Friday brings. What is Cher so excited about?

Again that smile! The anticipation that comes with the wind of change. And those flapping aprons. The electricity, the energy is palpable.

Aprons wave hello.
I've waited so long,
wished so hard
for my own Fish Fry apron.
It's a family tradition,
going still water fishin' on Ol' Cane.
But it's hard
waiting
to fish with Papere,
to be part of tradition.

All right, that’s teaser enough. You’ve heard the beginning of this song that’s as old as family, old as tradition—and that’s also as fresh as any child who wants to assert their place in their family and their family’s tradition for the first time. So now you’ve got to discover the rest on your own.

All I’ll say is that Cher learns what it truly means to be part of a family, and maybe it’s not exactly what she thought. It’s way, way, waaaaaaayyyyyy more than bringing home a bucket of bream.

Courtney’s word choices, her rhythms, her sense of place is pure perfection. And so well-matched with Chambers’ illustrations that are filled with movement, joy, tenderness, and all of the elements of place that bring this part of Louisiana to life. But at certain moments, they also invite the reader to stop, to sit with Cher and her feelings and to soak up all of the other elements that make up her world. An author’s note describes Courtney’s affinity for this place and her family. There’s also a glossary for most of the Cajun words used in the story.

I listened to Courtney’s read aloud and interview with Storytime with Mr. Limata, and it was interesting to hear how words and pronunciation change throughout Louisiana as different groups make the language their own. Such richness of culture is to be celebrated!

When I came to the end of this book, I sighed and closed my eyes and heard Ol’ Cane River knocking at my door, saying Cher! It’s time! So I went back to the beginning and read it again. Even now, I find myself wanting to relive this memory as if it were my own again and again and again.

Activities:

Are there any traditions in your family that you love? Make a list of words that you associate with that tradition. Then write a poem, using those words, that shows how it feels to anticipate and then participate in the tradition.

Make origami fish and glue a small magnet to each one’s mouth. Tie a string to a stick to make a fishing pole. Glue a small magnet to the end of the string. Alternatively, you can use a hold punch to make a hole near each fish mouth. And tie a Christmas ornament hook or partially unfolded paperclip to the end of the fishing string to form the fish hook. Shred green construction paper into masses of “seaweed.” Place a jumble of fish and the seaweed in a large open mouth bucket. Set a timer and see how many fish you can catch in a minute.

With a parent or guardian’s help, have your own Fish Fry Friday with all of the fixins, including sweet corn in maque choux, the “Cajun-soaked trinity” (onions, green bell peppers, and celery) in potato salad, and chow-chow. Add your own favorites to the feast.

Pair this book with SOUL FOOD SUNDAY by Winsome Bingham, illus. by C.G. Esperanza; THE SPICE BOX by Meera Sriram, illus. by Sandhya Prabhat; FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard, illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal; FREEDOM SOUP by Tami Charles, illus. by Jacqueline Alcántara; PLATANOS ARE LOVE by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, illus. by Mariyah Rahman; THE NIGHT BEFORE EID by Aya Khalil, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh; and AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO by Kat Zhang, illus. by Charlene Chua….to name a few.

Title: A Season for Fishin’: A Fish Fry Tradition

Author: Pamela Courtney

Illustrator: Toni D. Chambers

Publisher: FSG, 2025

Ages: PreK- Elementary school

Themes: family, tradition, belonging

For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.