A Fish Like Me - by Jamie Sumner (Hardcover)

About the Book

Underwater, everything looks different--and everybody moves differently too. During swim therapy, a child discovers he can be anything: a catfish, a seahorse, a starfish cartwheeling across the universe. He finds the magic of moving in wholly new ways, just like he does on land in his trusty wheelchair.

Book Synopsis

"A gorgeous celebration of swimming, disability, and imagination." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In the spirit of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners and I Talk Like a River, this lyrical picture book from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner tells the story of a child in swim therapy and celebrates the ways differently abled bodies can move in the water.

Under here, there is
no top or bottom,
no left or right--
only fields of water to wander in
as topsy-turvy as I like.

Underwater, everything looks different--and every body moves differently, too. During swim therapy, a child discovers he can be anything: a catfish, a seahorse, a starfish cartwheeling across the universe. He finds the magic of moving in wholly new ways, just like he does on land in his trusty wheelchair.

Review Quotes

"A glorious love letter to water, A Fish Like Me is the perfect encouragement for young swimmers . . . . Jamie Sumner's prose swirls in delightful twists and turns . . . Both the illustrations and the text are standouts . . . an empowering celebration of the magic of swimming and freedom of movement, a visual and literary treat in every way."--BookPage

"[A]n exuberant celebration of physicality . . . the bright art and the narrative's joyful swing will make a big splash with readers. . . . A buoyant encounter with a child who uses a wheelchair and celebrates his abilities on a land and in the water."--School Library Journal

"Sumner here revisits familiar themes from her previous books for older readers, combining her nuanced portrayals of young people who use wheelchairs with her exploration of competitive swimming. This combination reveals how water is not only therapeutic but an equalizer: it buoys every body. Holzwarth's gouache, colored-pencil, and collage illustrations celebrate the joyous movement of bodies in water and the fanciful places swimming can unlock."--Horn Book

"Illustrations in gouache, colored pencil, and collage embody the flow of the text . . . Brief, poetic text on each page, filled with aquatic metaphor, further envelops listeners into the child's world as he expertly moves in his own ways with gleeful energy."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

* "In harmony with Sumner's rhythmic, lyrical text, Holzwarth's fluid, dreamy illustrations immerse readers of all abilities in the imaginative child's joyful, vibrant underwater world of deep blue waves, iridescent bubbles, and colorful sea creatures. A gorgeous celebration of swimming, disability, and imagination."--Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"[A] lushly imagined picture book . . . An expansive portrait of bodily autonomy and movement."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Jamie Sumner is the author of the Roll with It trilogy, Tune It Out, One Kid's Trash, The Summer of June, Maid for It, Deep Water, Please Pay Attention, Schooled, Glory Be, and Wish You Well. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She is also the mother of a son with cerebral palsy and has written extensively about parenting a child with special needs. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her at Jamie-Sumner.com.

Devon Holzwarth is an award-winning American children's book illustrator of titles including The Story of a Book, Listen, and Tía Fortuna's New Home. She grew up in Panama, surrounded by nature, her dad's art supplies, and lots of places to swim. Today, she lives in Aachen, Germany, along with her family. Visit her on Instagram @DevonHolzwarth and at DevonHolzwarth.com.