Papa's Mechanical Fish

CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI)
Indiana Young Hoosier Award Master List
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice A. ML
Vermont Red Clover Children's Choice A ML

Candace Fleming and illustrator Boris Kulikov pair up to tell a fun story about a real submarine inventor in Papa's Mechanical Fish

Clink! Clankety-bang! Thump-whirr! That's the sound of Papa at work. Although he is an inventor, he has never made anything that works perfectly, and that's because he hasn't yet found a truly fantastic idea. But when he takes his family fishing on Lake Michigan, his daughter Virena asks, "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a fish?"—and Papa is off to his workshop. With a lot of persistence and a little bit of help, Papa—who is based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips—creates a submarine that can take his family for a trip to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

“Fleming's telling is lively, humorous, and specific.” —The Horn Book

“A humorous tribute to the zany, determined and innovative side of invention.” —Kirkus Reviews

“There's a rich history of batty inventor/tinkerer dads in children's books, and the girl narrator's father in this book could hang with the best of them.” —Booklist

“*The exuberant and inquisitive tone of this book is sure to entertain curious children.” —School Library Journal, starred review