DIVE

Undersea adventures await!

Arthur awakens one morning with his bed soaked through. His mother, clad in a snorkel mask and air tank, takes him to the doctor to see what caused his bedwetting. As the doctor, dressed in an atmospheric diving suit, examines Arthur, he finds himself submerged underwater. Arthur’s heartbeat sounds “like a submarine radar,” his breath like “restless dolphins.” After further investigation leads to a playful, more immersive look at Arthur’s undersea world—full of high-spirited fish, mermaids, and whales—the doctor realizes that Arthur misses the thing that he loves most: the sea. Originally published in Brazil and beautifully translated from Portuguese by Dantas Lobato, this is a deeply fantastical look at the rich interior life of a possibly neurodivergent child (Canônica’s author’s note mentions that the book was partly inspired by her experiences with children on the autism spectrum). Massarani’s illustrations, depicting human characters with simple black outlines and relying on a palette of stark shades of blues and greens, portray a world free of restraints where imagination and an abiding love of the ocean reign supreme (front endpapers showcase Arthur in utero underwater surrounded by a school of fish). While Arthur’s mother is justifiably worried, the doctor takes an open-minded approach, honoring the boy’s creative outlook; youngsters with a different perspective will feel seen—and appreciated. All characters have skin the color of the page.

A magical portrait of the unique ways we look at life and connect with others.