DIFFY

It’s better down where it’s wetter once an ennui-laden undersea denizen discovers the power of story.

Nothing much happens in Diffy’s part of the sea. On occasion, something interesting might drop into the depths where the relatively reclusive Diffy (who resembles an anglerfish) lives, but conversations between deep sea residents are typically brisk and to the point (“That’s a big ‘un, Terry.” “Yup. A big’ un”). All that changes the day “the object” appears. Young readers will recognize it as a book, a dictionary in fact, but to Diffy it’s a wonder. Entranced by its straightforward illustrations, the fish begins to conjure up wholly new associations and stories (an onion is “a strange jellyfish,” a hedgehog, “a sea urchin…with eyes!”). The increasingly elaborate tales he spins for the other fish are dubbed “Diffy’s tells.” Soon, others pick up on this new form of entertainment, and later, even after “the object” is lost to further depths below, its influence remains. Lies deftly transplants the birth of a culture’s storytelling to a world under the sea. The artist also clearly has a great deal of fun juxtaposing the dictionary’s colorless pen-and-ink illustrations with blue-drenched images of Diffy’s reality and, in time, scenes depicting Diffy’s own extravagant imaginings. Backmatter includes explanations of Lies’ research into how saltwater affects paper pages.

Oral storytelling is the star of the show in this charming paean to ichthyological imagination.