Review of “Why The Fisherman Fished” by D.T. Rossi

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

Why The Fisherman Fished is a colorful, vibrant, and heartwarming children's book by D.T. Rossi!

The book centers on a curious and imaginative little boy who is fascinated and tantalized by the thought of what the local fisherman must catch after being at sea all day.

He imagines all the big, colorful, vibrant fish that the fisherman must have caught.

Letting his curiosity get the best of him, the little boy finds the courage to meet the fisherman one day, finally asking him what he caught. However, the fisherman repeatedly comes to shore empty-handed (lacking any fish).

Despite this, the fisherman maintains a positive and cheerful attitude as well as stories about the things that have happened out at sea. For example, a family of colorful birds land on his boat and he gets to feed them. He later recounts encountering a large sea creature (like a Loch Ness Monster) and even a mermaid!

In contrast to this, the little boy, is disappointed because his mind is fixated on the fisherman catching actual fish. In other words, he's fixated on the goal and the intent rather than on the experience, the journey, and on all of the other magnificent things that could happen out at sea.

The boy is stunned when, after finally catching a big, beautiful, vibrant fish, the fisherman says that the fish isn't the only thing he caught.

During a joyful town gathering full of music and dancing, the fisherman sits by himself, smiling contentedly.

It's then that the boy finally realizes that the fisherman had bigger reasons for going fishing that were previously beyond his shortsightedness.

This book is a powerful reminder of how—like Justin Kojok so eloquently puts it—it's not the destination, it's the journey—or, in this case, it's not what you catch but the experiences you have along the way that matter.

Furthermore, it's just a very happy, cheerful, cute, and positive book. It's also bright and colorful, which kids are sure to love.

Oh, and the size, font, style, and length of the text is just about perfect for circle time, reading time, or bed time!

There are a few things about this book that raised an eyebrow, though they are extremely minor in the grand scheme of things. For one, the little boy is always unattended (where are his parents?) and seems to have little to no concept of stranger danger. He just goes up to the fisherman every day and talks to him without any other adult present.

We also found it hilarious that the fish that the fisherman catches are always happy and smiling despite the fact that—realistically—they have a hook in their lips, they probably can't breathe well out of the water, and they're about to be chopped up and eaten (though that's not shown). Hey, it's a book for kids, so we're not going to be too down on that. We just found it humorous.

Check it out on Amazon!