Dream submarine

"Put your wishes in your pocket..../ Open the hatch and climb down the ladder." A Dream Submarine allows readers to observe myriad sea creatures preparing for slumber in this soporific oceanic journey. As a child with light brown skin peers from a round window, the vessel travels from Zanzibar across the world's oceans, encountering jellyfish, pufferfish, rays, turtles, and more. Lightly poetic lines highlight the remarkable bedtime habits of maritime fauna: "Shrimp tiptoe in to clean" yawning eels' teeth, and "parrotfish snooze in slime sleeping bags." As the submarine descends, the depths become reminiscent of the starry night sky, until the vehicle resurfaces and the child emerges, "right on time/ to make a wish for every fish/ and each creature in the sea." Sweet, beachy-hued digital renderings by Hilsaca suggest a striated watery environment, while Gunnufson's maritime meanderings point the way toward pelagic dreams. Back matter includes a map and species facts. Ages 3--7. (June)

An exploration of the oceans yields stunning discoveries. A brown-haired, tan-skinned child descends beneath the waves in a wide-windowed Dream Submarine to watch as marine life beds down for the night. What amazing sights there are to behold from that vantage point as the sub sails through the world's waters. Beautifully colored fish and other marine creatures--some familiar, some likely lesser known--are visible up close in all their glory. Some bear unusual names--soapfish, sweetlips, stargazers, maomao--and some demonstrate intriguing habits (shrimp clean between eels' teeth; some fish change colors or patterns). Then, there's a glittery surprise as the submarine dives down and we see a light show with displays of glittery bioluminescence (though that term isn't used). Children who weren't previously aware of this underwater phenomenon will be amazed to discover that some sea creatures have the ability to light up because the waters in which they dwell are so dark they must illuminate their own undersea paths. More surprises are in store when the submarine eventually rises from the sea, and the young seafarer surveys the stars in the dark skies above--enough "to make a wish for every fish and each creature in the sea." This lovely book, expressed in smooth, gentle prose, makes a snuggly bedtime choice. The beautifully colored, crisp, clean digital illustrations capture some fascinating denizens and environs of the deep. A delightful voyage well worth taking. (map of the Dream Submarine's voyage, information on the ocean animals depicted in the story, more to explore, ocean zones) (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.