Official Review: The Fishing Lure by Greer Alexis Bacon

[CataclysmicKnight]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Fishing Lure" by Greer Alexis Bacon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Family is one of the most important things in life, particularly the child-parent and child-grandparent relationship, and it feels like one being lost over time. When I was a child, we watched things like Full House where no one was perfect, but family stuck together and things always worked out. These days, however, it feels like kids shows represent parents as just silly or unknowledgeable and celebrate the child that mocks them or flat-out disobeys them. Particularly when a child is at the age to be read to, the importance of family should be a key point, and Greer Alexis Bacon's The Fishing Lure does just that across four generations, celebrating what's great about family, spending time together and passing along traditions.

The Fishing Lure begins with a boy known only as "Stars and Stripes" for being born on Independence Day, sharing his love of fishing with his grandfather, a WWII vet. Gramps, you see, always loved fishing and took his son when he raised him, and has continued the tradition with his grandson.

On Stars and Stripes's 7th birthday his parents get him a new fishing pole and his Gramps gives him a hand painted fishing lure, with the thirteen stripes and 50 stars of the flag upon it, along with the year 1776. The next morning, Stars and Stripes takes his stars and stripes fishing lure and new pole out for a spin. Unfortunately, a snapping turtle gets a hold of the line and the lure is seemingly lost forever. Time goes on, Stars and Stripes opens a fishing shop right there on the Finger Lakes where he always fished and he even has a son. When his Gramps passes, he follows his request to scatter the ashes over the pond the two of them visited, and in doing so his son finds the special fishing lure he lost 22 years ago.

The best comparison I can find for The Fishing Lure is one of those Pixar shorts. The book is short, portrays its points expertly, it's touching and sad, even for an adult, and ends on one of those "fighting back a tear while I smile" moments that every single one of them seems to give me. The illustrations in the book are wonderful as well - they colors pop and even sparkle in places, all done with water color paint, and feel like a cross between anime and traditional cartoons. There are a total of 11 in the book's 20ish pages, not including 3 more in a tiny section in the back where the illustrator, T.D Smartgroupvn, briefly explains how the illustrations are done.

The Fishing Lure is a wonderful, short children's book that really captures the love of family without having to even say it's there, and it's a must have for parents to share with their kids, therefore earning itself 4 out of 4 stars. The version I reviewed from Amazon on my Kindle app allowed me to double-click each illustration, making it easy to show to kids as you read it to them (or as they read it themselves even!). The fact that the book is dedicated to the author's own grandfather, also a WWII vet who shared his love of fishing with his grandchildren makes it even more lovable. I found no grammatical errors or oddities, and honestly even reading through a second time with a fine-tooth comb I can't think of anything to make it better!

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The Fishing Lure
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Like CataclysmicKnight's review? Post a comment saying so!

[oliverrichmond67]

I am very happy to post here. Deep in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. Lives a boy who shares the love of fishing with his grandfather. Who receives the a gift of a fishing lure for this birthday. His enjoyment of his new gift is cut short. With a twist of faith, his grandfather's love for fishing is renewed in one single moment that changes everything. Reminding us of the American dream through a relationship with a boy and his grandfather.

[Shelle]

Great review! This sounds like such a sweet book. Fishing with my Grandpa is one of my sweetest memories too, and I hope one day my daughters will say the same thing. This sounds like a wonderful story to share with them.

[oliverrichmond67]

Thank you so much for sharing

[shelley_soetosenojo]

Such a great review. The book sounds great also!
Thank you to the reviewer and the author!!

[CataclysmicKnight]

Great review! This sounds like such a sweet book. Fishing with my Grandpa is one of my sweetest memories too, and I hope one day my daughters will say the same thing. This sounds like a wonderful story to share with them.

Oh definitely, this book sounds absolutely perfect for you and your daughters!