Fish Everywhere by Britta Teckentrup (review)

There's a literary sweet spot for kids who delight in sea life, in amassing sharable details, and in immersive (pun fully intended) experiences, and Teckentrup hits that mark with a lushly illustrated picture book made for the oxymoronic serious browser. Each double-page spread in this British import features a briny or freshwater environment or fish-related topic; elaborate pictorial detail and chatty text and captioning will keep lap sitters and floor sprawlers rapt. Embedded within most of the watercolor and cut-paper scenes are viewing challenges: for example, determine which creatures are not fish; locate an Atlantic cod at various sea levels; pick out distinctively colored male, female, and juvenile parrot fish in a reef; go back through the book to find the lone bristlemouth—a daunting mission unless one follows a significant clue. The need to occasionally flip the book ninety degrees or to follow winding streams of text assures yet another level of engagement. This is a great choice for kids heading off to lake, river, ocean, or aquarium adventures, or those just itching to trade their jeans for waders or a wetsuit.