Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne; illustrated by Eric Puybaret

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
By Jennifer Berne; illustrated by Eric Puybaret
Chronicle Books; $16.99
40 pp.; ISBN-13: 978-0811860635

Review by Amy Brozio-Andrews

In this engaging biography of Jacques Cousteau, Jennifer Berne and Eric Puybaret create a warm and respectful tribute to the famous French ocean explorer, filmmaker, and conservationist. Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau covers his life from early childhood through his conservation work, factual and yet still simply told enough and well-illustrated enough to interest even young readers.

Jacques Cousteau's early childhood captivation by the ocean to his youthful interest in filmmaking and inventing found expression in his adulthood with a stint with the French Navy and a chance underwater encounter with a friend's goggles. Inspired, he invented the aqualung, which first allowed people to breathe while swimming underwater. Taking a crew out in the Calypso, a former Navy ship, he and his crew set out to explore what lay beneath the ocean.

Revealing a startling number and variety of sea life, Cousteau put his filmmaking skills to use recording his discoveries to inspire people to care about the oceans. His years of undersea work gave him a firsthand view of the damages wrought by pollution and conservationism became part of Cousteau's rallying cry. His activism brought him in contact with important leaders around the world but one of his goals was to inspire children to continue to explore and protect the world around them, a goal that becomes an invitation to young readers at the end of the book.

With Jennifer Berne's engaging writing, young readers are drawn into Cousteau's world, while artist Eric Puybaret's stylized, ocean-hued illustrations offer readers a "you-are-there" perspective. In one scene, the reader's perspective is that of Cousteau behind the camera, filming men catching fish with their bare hands. In another, it's like you're sitting in the movie theatre, watching a Cousteau film with other audience members. In still another, there's horizontal split-screen effect, illustrating Cousteau's likely view as he experimented with goggles for the first time and saw the shore above the waterline and the sea life below.

Jacques Cousteau lived long before most of the readers of this book were even born (1910-1997) however Berne's writing has an ageless quality that belies the historical context of the biography. Manfish has an immediate feel to it, and the call to action that is supposed on Cousteau's behalf is personal and direct; Berne follows through by including a list of activities kids can participate in that support the exploration and conservation of ocean life and resources.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau is an interesting story of an adventuresome boy who grew up to be an explorer, inventor, and filmmaker whose work continues to inspire today.