A day spent fishing on the lake underscores a few of the things a father and daughter do differently (he catches worms by hand, she uses a shovel) and the same (hugging one another at the end of the day), chronicling a relationship defined by ease and underscored by love. The occasional refrain “That’s Papa’s way” makes it clear this is not the first time the two have shared a day like this. The young narrator describes their day through a finely paced narrative full of understated yet observant details. “Papa holds the boat while I tumble in… I look down at the water. It’s rippling now like ribbon candy.” The illustrations, featuring an appealingly scruffy dad and bright-eyed girl, are a bit uneven, but they don’t detract from the charm of the quietly winning story. (Ages 3–7)

A father and his little girl set out early one morning to go fishing. The girl watches her father closely, noticing how he plucks the worms from the soil with his bare hands, not with a trowel as she does. How he casts his fishing line far out into the lake, while she drops hers over the side of the boat. How patient he is waiting for the fish to bite, while she is restless. His way does not match hers, but that's just fine. In the end she gives Papa an affectionate pat on the back when he catches a fish, just as he patted her back earlier when she caught one.

The happy spirit of this father-daughter outing is fully captured in comforting earth-toned illustrations.