Fishing with Dad

Rosen (Elijah's Angel; The Kids' Book of Fishing) offers a very different angle on angling with this poetic reminiscence of days he spent as a child fishing with his father. ""I remember it all, especially now, watching my son at his side...,"" the author observes, a preface to the blank verse that serves as the text. The nostalgic mood deepens with Shively's affecting photos; their grainy quality and rough edges recall snapshots a generation old. Underscoring the narrative's highly personal nature, Rosen's father and son are the subjects of Shively's photos. At book's end, the author, too, appears in a photo, watching his father show ""another child"" (Rosen's son) ""exactly/ how to bait and how to cast and, of course,/ how to be patient, too."" And, in an ingratiating final twist, Rosen finally learns the secret behind his perfect boyhood record of always catching the first fish. Leisurely paced and frankly sentimental, this tribute to a kind man is likely to find its most appreciative audience in parents and grandparents. All ages. (Mar.)