FLEMING, Candace. Papa’s Mechanical Fish. illus.by Boris Kulikov. 32p.bibliog. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson.June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-39908-5.
Gr 2-4–This picture book is a fictional account based on events in the life of eccentric inventor Lodner Phillips as told from the perspective of his daughter, Virena. Papa theorizes and tinkers but never succeeds. Finally, while the family is dropping lines from a pier into Lake Michigan, his daughter asks, “have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a fish?” Immediately the man dashes back to his workshop and soon produces one of the world’s earliest submarines, the Whitefish. Children will delight in the way Virena is the catalyst for her father’s successive improvements to his primitive vessel as she continues to ask questions: about how fish move through water, stay dry, and know where they are going. Kulikov’s luminous, playful, detailed illustrations on full-bleed spreads incorporate a variety of perspectives, including close-up views of fish and of Papa underwater and cutaway diagrams of his creations. An afterword is included. The exuberant and inquisitive tone of this book is sure to entertain curious children.–Anne Barreca, New York Public Library
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