Review: Manfish

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
By Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Eric Puybaret
Published 2008 by Chronicle Books

There is something about biography right now that is calling to me and I'm not sure why. I wonder if I'm particularly interested in looking at picture book biographies because they often provide the most interesting details and information in the most concise format. Either way, this was a very well-done biography. The illustrations are perfect for the text they accompany - dreamy with a lovely oceanic palette. I just wanted to look at them all day. I had no idea that Cousteau invented the aqualung, though of course it makes sense. This is a very simple and lovely story of Jacques' love of the ocean and how he developed that into success. It touches briefly on his efforts to make people aware of how pollution was harming the underwater world he so treasured. There is an excellent author's note/for further information at the back. I really enjoyed this one!