Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch

by Paul J. Hoffman, Nick Patton (Illustrator)

My first word wasn’t “Mama,” like most mothers wish. What came out of my mouth wasn’t “Dada,” but “FISH.” Sam loves to fish! He spends his days on the lake fishing for perch with his Gramps. But when Gramps tells a tall tale about the day he hooked and lost a seven-pound perch, Sam is determined to catch the monster fish. With Gramps’ lucky hat and his faithful dog Jock, Sam begins his search for the world-record perch. Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch is a delightful, humorous, and inspiring story about determination, family, friendship, and doing the right thing. Readers young or old, angler or landlubber, will be surprised and amused by Sam’s inventive solution in his quest for the seven-pound perch.

38 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2018

Reviews

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun tale of a special bond between a boy and his grandfather. Sam is determined to fish for the prize perch and always takes his dog Jock with him no matter what the weather. I enjoyed the illustrations, especially the facial expressions. The author provides discussion questions for teachers/caregivers in the backmatter making use of this book in classrooms a good choice. The message of doing what is right even when it's a tough decision is presented in a way young readers will understand and might even start conversations about decision making and sacrifices.