If you’re a parent who loves to fish, you might have dreams about helping your kid net their first trout or tie their first fly or their shining eyes as they listen to your “big fish” stories. Kids love to be included and get involved with the adults in their lives. Fishing with your kids can create cherished memories and positive life lessons as a child grows up. The benefits of fishing for all is pretty impressive.
One way to get your child interested in fishing is to read stories about fishing to them (or with them, depending on their reading level). Reading is a great way to engage a child’s imagination and introduce them to new hobbies and interests. Reading together helps develop literacy skills, sparks the imagination, and enhances the bond between you and your child.
With that in mind, we’ve found four fun children’s books about fishing that are sure to make any kid fall in love with the sport.
1. H Is For Hook: A Fishing Alphabet by Judy Young (6-9 Years Old)
H Is For Hook is far more than a simple alphabet book. In addition to fun alphabetic rhymes, this book is a lavishly illustrated primer on various topics surrounding fishing. Judy Young, the author, is an avid angler whose love of the sport is evident from the first page.
This is an ideal book for both early and late elementary school readers. Each letter of the alphabet has both a child-friendly short rhyme and a few paragraphs of further explanation. The longer blocks of text are fun, interesting explanations of the history, biology, and ecology of fishing that have more complicated words that a first grader or kindergarten reader would likely struggle with. The two types of text, coupled with beautiful illustrations, make this book perfect to read out loud with your kids.
2. Edison’s Tackle Box by Meghan Colvin (2-8 Years Old)
Edison’s Tackle Box is a picture book that captures the excitement and anticipation of a fishing trip. In this story, the main character is packing his own tackle box for the first time. It introduces kids to many of the basics of fishing, including the most important element: having fun!
This book is geared towards kids in the 2-8 year age range. Older elementary readers will be able to tackle this on their own, and younger readers will enjoy the charming illustrations. This is another perfect book to read with your kids because the heart of the story is Edison’s bond with his dad and his enjoyment of outdoor adventures together. It’s the kind of book that might make you remember your childhood fishing trips and lead to sharing your memories with your kids.
3. André Goes Fishing by Mikaela Wilson (2-8 Years Old)
Spoiler alert: There isn’t a fishing trip in this story. But that’s ok! Fishing is still the heart and soul of the adventure, and this book is a sweet story about how the love of a shared hobby can bring families together no matter where they are. In this book, the main character is excited about getting to go fishing with his dad, but inclement weather means that their trip is cancelled. However, the power of imaginative play means that they can still have fun going on a pretend fishing trip inside the house. This story shows kids that even if your plans have to change, you can still have fun. It demonstrates how resilience and the power of imagination mean that you can still engage in your hobbies.
This book’s indoor fishing expedition is such fun that your own kids might be interested in pretending to fish in their rooms. The story gives lots of ideas about how you can make that happen. It also shows that you don’t need fancy equipment to have fun and nurtures skills like cooperation, teamwork, and sharing responsibility.
4. Girls Can Fish Too! by William Kelly (8-10 Years Old)
Fishing is for anyone and everyone, and it’s important that kids know this. Young girls should get the same opportunities to fish as boys, and boys should know that girls can love fishing just as much as they do. But in a lot of kids’ media, fishing is seen as a “boy’s thing.” In this book, the main character Jenny is an average little girl who loves doing “girl things,” like playing with dolls and playing dress-up. But fishing is her passion, and she won’t listen to anybody who says otherwise.
This book is suitable for younger readers. The text is simple enough for early elementary readers, and the messages of self-confidence, perseverance, and sportsmanship will resonate with kids of all ages. By the end of the book, your kids will see that you don’t have to be a certain kind of person to fish and that anyone can have fun doing what they love.
5. Hooked by Tommy Greenwald (4-6 Years Old)
This father son story has beautiful illustrations, and teaches a father and son what they have in common. This book easily highlights the relationship between a loving father and son while building some excitement around catching some big fish.
This is suitable for 4-6 year olds and contains 32 pages.
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about