Dream Submarine

“Put your wishes in your pocket..../ Open the hatch and climb down the ladder.” A Dream Submarine allows readers to observe myriad sea creatures preparing for slumber in this soporific oceanic journey. As a child with light brown skin peers from a round window, the vessel travels from Zanzibar across the world’s oceans, encountering jellyfish, pufferfish, rays, turtles, and more. Lightly poetic lines highlight the remarkable bedtime habits of maritime fauna: “Shrimp tiptoe in to clean” yawning eels’ teeth, and “parrotfish snooze in slime sleeping bags.” As the submarine descends, the depths become reminiscent of the starry night sky, until the vehicle resurfaces and the child emerges, “right on time/ to make a wish for every fish/ and each creature in the sea.” Sweet, beachy-hued digital renderings by Hilsaca suggest a striated watery environment, while Gunnufson’s maritime meanderings point the way toward pelagic dreams. Back matter includes a map and species facts. Ages 3–7. (June)