Recognizing that children's participation in traditional outdoor sports is on the decline, I created the character Jonny and the multifaceted Adventures with Jonny series to bring an end to this trend.

The Jonny character was brought to life with significant influence from students in Hugger Elementary School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The opinions and feedback of the children helped design a Jonny character that is most appealing to our target audience.

The book contains three sections with the initial section a colorfully entertaining, rhyming children's story intended to pique a child's interest in the sport of fishing. The story takes the reader through a wonderful fishing adventure with Jonny and his father.

The second section was designed and written to educate parents or other adults on the proper ways to introduce children to the fine sport of fishing. This section is the bulk of the book covering all the basics from initial equipment, basic fishing rigs, how to cast, where to fish and what baits to use.The final section is an educational game entitled "Name that Fish" illustrating 10 of the most common freshwater fish that young children catch on their inaugural days of fishing. This section offers an accurate colorful illustration of each fish, with information on their preferred habitat, food, average size, key identifying traits and proven fishing tactics.

This book is the most unique of its kind on the market today.

The second book in this series will be out in the Fall of 2006, entitle Adventures with Jonny, Ice Fishing, The Coolest Sport on Earth. Following the same format as the first book, the sequel introduces two new child characters and follows Jonny and his companions throughout a fun-filled hard water fishing adventure. The parental tutorial includes ice safety, proven ice fishing tactics, fish cleaning and family recipes for the end of a successful day on the ice.