Customer Reviews

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Jennifer Berne's tale of Jacques Cousteau's journey from child to young man to manfish is breathtaking and inspiring. This children's book is a lovely look at a world that's often forgotten in our busy lives - the sea and its inhabitants and the effect we have on each other.

Berne's chronicles of Cousteau's journeys, his ambition and his deep passion for life are inspirational to young and older readers alike. The sea is bigger than life, and so is this book's message: dream big and follow those dreams. Cousteau gives us all a little hope that perhaps changing the world isn't really all that hard.

I recommend getting this book for anyone in your life who loves and respects the sea and its life - or anyone who appreciate life at all. The illustrations and the poetic tale are unforgettable.

The story of Jacque Cousteau's developing fascination with the sea and it's inhabitants is beautifully told and illustrated in this volume for children. . The ocean's wonder is brought vividly to life, as is Cousteau's message that we need to take responsibility to sustain the life that dwells within it.

A beautifully written and illustrated book about a boy who grew up to be one of the world's most ardent conservationists. Both children and adults will appreciate and hopefully heed the important message woven into this charming story. The unusual perspective of the illustrations and the surprise foldout plunge you even deeper into a watery world. This is a book to give to anyone who loves the ocean and the earth.

My son loves this book. Great artwork and good story. I hope this will build his interest in diving and help me find a new dive buddy in a few years.

Beautiful Book!

I know about Mr. Cousteau, but I admit that I know a very small amount of details (I blush to admit this). So, it was very enlightening for me to read "Manfish" which tells of Cousteau's childhood and young adult life, and how his various interests worked together to help him become one of the people to first document never-before-seen underwater life.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the narrative did a good job of keeping the flow of the story, even though it skips several years in Cousteau's life to go from main point to main point.

I thought it was nice to include information about Cousteau's inventions (I hadn't realized he'd invented the Auqalung!?) as well as his friends and diving partners.

I thought the feel of the illustrations fit the text really well. Sometimes the images felt a tad off, like they belonged with the next page or something, but this is very picky and didn't really distract from the story.

I can only imagine what it must have been like to be one of the first (or the first) person to lay eyes on the world deep under the waves. To be the first to see so many incredible creatures, and to make all those discoveries. How exciting it must have been!

Jacques was a boy who always was fascinated by the wonders of water. Once he read about a man who survived underwater by breathing through a tube, but when he tried it, the experiment was a flop. He was always experimenting with one thing or another and his curiosity was insatiable. Another thing that held great fascination for him was movies and how they were made. He saved up his money and bought a camera.

When he grew up he joined the French Navy and began to see some of the oceanic wonders of the world. This was a world that he would one day capture on film and make him famous, but first he had to figure out how to be able to go beneath the surface of the water for extended periods of time. It was then he invented the aqualung. Later he acquired the Calypso, an old warship and outfitted it for his purpose. Underneath the seas he began to see how people were destroying their environment. What do you suppose he did with that camera and the Calypso? Perhaps you already know the end of this story!

Each page in this book is fully encompassed in the atmosphere of the sea with full color illustrations and a complimentary, enthusiastic story. One pull out page almost makes the reader feel as if he is going into the depths of the ocean along with Cousteau and crew. Manfish brings the world of oceanography and environmental concerns, his passions, into the light once again.

Having grown up watching Jacques Cousteau on PBS, we like the book as much as our son.

This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated. It takes you on an almost dream-like, very lovely, poetic journey that includes the ocean, Jacques Cousteau's life, fish and ocean creatures, nature - and having dreams as a child and working throughout life to make them come true. This book should appeal to parents as well as children. I highly recommend it.