Manfish combines the story of a boy who is intrigued with life underwater who becomes a man who is obsessed with life underwater with beautiful illustrations and a call for action. It would be a great introduction to oceanography and recycling/caring for our world.
Manfish lacks descriptions of any of Cousteau's personal conflicts or weaknesses. A man as obsessive as Cousteau I'm sure had some weaknesses; I'm left wondering why Berne chose to leave this out.
Still, the overwhelming amount of blue tones in the book brings the reader into the magic of water, and it is difficult to not enjoy the book. ( )

Very Good biography of Jacques Cousteau. Picture book format, excellent and interesting pictures. About 32 pages.

I picked this one up because I really enjoyed the cover illustration. Also, I have a weird fascination with Jacques Cousteau. The illustrations are what make this story worth your time. Very muted and soft-focusey. Some were done in a sequential style, like a film strip. In the story, you find out about what drove Jacques Cousteau to explore the oceans and seas of the world; you also learn about his inventions that facilitated his explorations. I enjoyed the book a lot. ( )

Really gorgeous paintings illustrate this picture book biography of Jacques Cousteau. As Jacques discovers the sea, the reader sees all the wonderful plants and animals, too. As he dives deeper and deeper, we're treated to vertical spreads and unfolding pages that really capture the underwater wonderland that he explored. A short author's note gives a little information about the author's inspiration and some ideas for further exploring the world of Jacques Cousteau.

Hand this one to aspiring marine biologists and fans of picture book biographies like Surfer of the Century by Ellie Crow and Richard Waldrep. ( )

This is a softly and beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Jacques Cousteau. The illustrations were painted in acrylic on linen, and they are as soothing as the ocean life which they depict. Blues, greens, grays and shimmering silver take center stage in this short, but informative book. In illustrations showing human and marine life, marine life has an equal or greater presence - just as Cousteau would have liked.

The narrative is simple, yet compelling, detailing his first use of his invention, the "aqualung," Berne writes, "Below the surface, Jacques swam and glided and dove. He did flips and somersaults. He stood upside down on one finger, and laughed bubbles into the sea. Jacques could breathe beneath the water! Now he could swim across miles of ocean, his body feeling what only scales had felt, his eyes seeing what only fish had seen."

What a legacy! A great book! ( )