Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau (Jacques Cousteau Book for Kids, Children's Ocean Book, Underwater Picture Book for Kids)

by Jennifer Berne, Eric Puybaret (Illustrator)

Overview

Once upon a time in France, a baby was born under the summer sun. His parents named him Jacques. As he grew, Jacques fell in love with the sea. He dreamed of breathing beneath the waves and swimming as gracefully as a fish. In fact, he longed to become a manfish. Jacques Cousteau grew up to become a champion of the seas and one of the best-known oceanographers in the world. In this lovely biography, now in paperback, poetic text and gorgeous paintings come together to create a portrait of Cousteau that is as magical as it is inspiring.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452141237
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	03/03/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	38
Sales rank:	212,018
Product dimensions:	10.25(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Berne is the author of the acclaimed On a Beam of Light. She writes children's books about our amazing universe and the people who are passionate about it. She lives in Copake, New York.

Éric Puybaret is an award-winning illustrator of several books for children. He lives in Paris, France.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-5

A new generation of children is introduced to the pioneering oceanographer and filmmaker. Beginning with Cousteau's childhood in France where he marveled at the sea and dreamed of breathing underwater, Berne reveals the unique mix of curiosity, ingenuity, and passion that drove Cousteau to make underwater exploration possible. She describes his early experiments and forays into amateur filmmaking, helping readers understand the man he became. Most interesting is the simple explanation of how Cousteau and his friends developed the first fins, wetsuits, and scuba gear. Children will be surprised to know that before this man, the sport of scuba diving was nonexistent. Berne gently leads readers to Cousteau's passion for saving the underwater environment and then follows up with suggestions for further inquiry in her author's note. Almost poetic in its rich descriptions, the text is superimposed on ethereal acrylic paintings, submerging readers in the marine world. Shades of blue and green represent swaying, wraithlike strands of seaweed that both readers and oceanographers dart through while exploring the briny depths.-Nicki Clausen-Grace, Carillon Elementary School, Oviedo, FL

School Library Journal

This moving tribute to the great nautical observer and filmmaker is shot through with an authentically childlike sense of adventure and the thrill of discovery. Curious about the world, and especially the oceans, from his earliest years, Cousteau experimented with cameras, dreamed of flying and grew up to combine these interests-inventing the aqualung along the way so that he and his friends could see and record more of the deep's treasures. Puybaret ventures into Mary GrandPre territory with his shimmering, stylized seascapes, depicting long-bodied divers slipping sinuously through schools of brightly patterned fish and other sea life. Climaxing with a spectacular double foldout and closing with both an environmental warning and a wish that "someday it would be you, exploring worlds never seen, never imagined," this poetic profile of a doer and a dreamer is certain to inspire fresh interest in discovering, and in caring for, our world's wonders. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews

KIRKUS REVIEWS, STARRED REVIEW
This moving tribute to the great nautical observer and filmmaker is shot through with an authentically childlike sense of adventure and the thrill of discovery....is certain to inspire fresh interest in discovering, and in caring for, our world\\\'s wonders.

BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW
Berne\'s simple language is both lyrical and concise....Puybaret\'s smooth-looking acrylic paintings extend the words\' elegant simplicity...

From the Publisher