Learn to Fish

A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginning Anglers

by Dennis James Knowles and Gail Ann Grizzell, Illustrated by Jamie Sale

Author’s Story:

Dennis James Knowles and Gail Ann Grizzell launched The Fishing Foundation (TFF) in 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. TFF is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that offers youth training and classroom-style instruction on fishing techniques and regulations, fish habitats, water safety and conservation, and time fishing in a safe and secure environment. Program participants enjoy a fun-filled day of learning about casting, rigging, knot-tying, fish species and the importance of sustaining the environment, and fishing from shore.

As a way to expand The Fishing Foundation’s mission to enrich people’s lives through the sport of fishing, “Learn To Fish, A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginning Anglers,” was written by Dennis Knowles and Gail Grizzell as a way of encouraging youth to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors, especially teens in underserved areas. The book is fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions on how to fish, with helpful tips on where to fish, fishing safety, bait, and much more.

The book is not the first book that targets beginning anglers, but it is innovative. Research revealed that while there are books on the market on how to fish, none represent diversity. “Learn to Fish, A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginning Anglers,” was designed with diversity in mind… written for all youth. It’s diverse, multicultural and loaded with information on how to get started fishing, stay safe and catch fish.

In addition to the book, a comic strip, Hooked!, has been developed and is a digital monthly feature in SignalCleveland, a non-profit news service in Cleveland, Ohio.

Project Scope:

Creating a children’s book takes more time than most would-be authors realize. One of the first steps is creating a storyboard with the text and illustration ideas laid out in a mockup format. We have a blog post here that explains the process quite well.

It’s also important to have a good idea of what type of illustration work you want for your book. Every illustrator has a different style so it’s important you find examples of what you want and then find an illustrator who is able to create the look you want. I am a published illustrator, and I’ve written a blog post about creating illustrations for books. However, creating illustrations for children’s books is very time-consuming. If you’re planning on publishing a children’s book, make sure you discuss with your illustrator how long it will take before you announce your book to the world!

For this book project, we worked with illustrator and cartoonist, Jamie Sale, in the UK. He did a wonderful job creating the characters for the book and other images to help tell the story as you can see from these images. Our job begins when the illustrations are finished!

Our work on this project involved:

• Adobe Illustrator CC
• Adobe InDesign CC
• Adobe Photoshop CC
• Book Design and Layout
• Graphic Design Consulting
• Illustration
• Print Design