SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN

. . . has more good points than we have space to elaborate on. The six foolish fishermen were brothers. One fished from a log. One fished from a boat. One fished from the bridge. One fished from a rock. One fished from a raft. And one fished from the bank of a stream. Benjamin Elkin, the author, tells a charming story with rich, bright illustrations by Katherine Evans which suggest folk art, for they are brightly patterned, simple and uncluttered. Each foolish fisherman, fearing that his brothers had fallen in the stream, counted to see that there were still six. And each foolish fisherman forgot to include himself. It took a small boy to convince them that they had not lost a brother, that there really were still six, not five. This is just the sort of nonsense small children love. It lets them in on a joke which the protagonists of the story don't see. Many first and second graders could read and understand it independently. For others a teacher or parent standing by would be helpful.