Papa’s Mechanical Fish
Candace Fleming
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
2013 Margaret Ferguson Books
ISBN – 9780374399085
Genre – Picture Book
Age – Preschool, Early Elementary
4 Stars
Papa is always tinkering in his workshop coming up with quirky inventions which never end up working. He tried to make collapsible hanger, edible socks, and many others wacky items. One day he got sick of tinkering, and takes the kids fishing. When his daughter asked if he ever wondered what it would be like to be a fish he got a brilliant idea. He was going to build an underwater vessel. When he built the first one, it did not work, so he tried again. Each time he built a new model he improved on the last one until after many tries, he finally built a highly sophisticated underwater vessel.
Based on a true story, Papa’s Mechanical Fish combines, humor, fact, and imagination. Children will giggle at the mistakes that Papa makes, and how he learns from his mistakes. They will also love the fun noises of Papa tinkering around in his work shop, which are repeated throughout the book. The illustrations are soft and beautiful. Boris Kulikov was truly able to capture the excitement of each character in the book, including the goofy and adorable family dog. A short history of the inventor, Lodner Phillips, is outlined after the story. This book truly has it all.
A Curious Bookshelf 