A FISH LIKE ME

A child reflects on the joy and freedom of swimming.

On land, the brown-skinned young narrator explains, “I am a rock-star roller who sparkles and zooms and spins” in a manual wheelchair “like a rocket ready to launch into space.” Importantly, the child’s wheelchair is “just as much a part of me as my toes”—a phrase that simultaneously embraces disability and gently reminds readers to respect wheelchair users’ personal space. But underwater, “I am a fish with a body that wriggles in a different way.” Donning goggles and entering a pool, the child imagines being such creatures as “a starfish cartwheeling across a universe” and “a seahorse with shimmering skin and head held high because everyone knows horses are proud.” In the water, the protagonist is “fearless and brave except when I’m not and lose my way in this topsy-turvy world.” Fortunately, the child’s brown-skinned swim therapy coach provides grounding touches and “reminds me to kick. But like the clownfish I am, I add a little flip.” Whether on land or underwater, the child can be “silly and free. Wherever I might be…there is something magical… about a fish like me.” In harmony with Sumner’s rhythmic, lyrical text, Holzwarth’s fluid, dreamy cartoon 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. Background characters are racially diverse.

A gorgeous celebration of swimming, disability, and imagination.