Sumner, Jamie. Fish Like Me, A. Devon Holzwarth, Illus. Atheneum, 04/2026. [34]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-1-6659-4257-7. GRADES Preschool–4. OUTSTANDING.
This first-person picture book celebrating the free and joyous feeling of swimming will surely appeal to a wide audience that includes kids who use a wheelchair (like the brown-skinned main character) and those who don’t. Similar to Sumner’s several realistic fiction books, there are multiple layers helping readers gain awareness, understanding, and empathy for kids who use a wheelchair, like her own child who has cerebral palsy. Naturally, the swimmers in the pool have diverse body shapes, skin colors, and capacities, although it seems nobody else in the swimming group happens to use a wheelchair. Holzwarth’s illustrations in gouache, colored pencil, and collage are a delight, from the first tentative toe in the water to the final big splashes of various sea creatures; swirling with the learning swim class, meditating on the quiet calm water, and exploring the richly dramatic, imagined worlds of this child’s metaphors. The sensory-based text complements the images, bringing focus to the physical sensations, sounds, sights, and emotions that are depicted in the vividly absorbing pictures. “Under here, I am a starfish cartwheeling across a universe, my burble of bubbles the only sound when I breathe out.” This mesmerizing read-aloud will set the expectation for enjoying swimming and embracing the capabilities of one’s own unique body as well as others’. Laudable and practical results in a satisfying and sublime package.
Erica Siskind—Oakland Public Library