Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau    by Jennifer Berne & Eric Puybaret Order:  USA  Can Chronicle, 2008 (2008) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch I loved this mini-biography of Jacques Cousteau. In lilting prose, the author reconstructs the life of the famous underwater explorer, beginning with his boyhood fascination with water. The book continues, in a child-friendly manner, to recount Cousteau's life and the events that led him to invent the aqua-lung and eventually become a world-famous documentary producer and adventurer. With dreamlike illustrations, the young Cousteau is depicted joyfully diving underwater, designing blueprints, directing and filming homemade movies, swimming with the fish, and finally, making documentaries about his underwater discoveries. 'Jacques dreamed that someday it would be you, exploring worlds never seen, never imagined. Whole new worlds, silent and shimmering. Worlds that are now yours. To discover. To care for. And to love.' An underlying environmental message, along with a message of, 'If you can dream it, you can do it,' is both evocative and inspirational. This exceptional book will fire up a child's imagination and may help develop an interest in the sea and in helping to protect marine life. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews