Douglas Florian has created another outrageous collection of poems and paintings in the spirit of Beast Feast (Harcourt, 1994) and On the Wing (Harcourt, 1996). This time he has turned his attention to fish and other creatures of the undersea world. In the 21 lighthearted, teasing poems and full-page paintings of In the Swim, no rhyme is unrealized, no pun is left unturned. Florian's quirky, inventive humor is brimming with wit and child appeal. Verbal and visual humor extends, where appropriate, to the layout of text on the page; these and other elements of the poems and paintings give an edge of sophistication to the silliness of this collection in which the poems themselves are funny but words and art together are a fishy feast of humor. (Ages 8-11)

A brilliantly illustrated poetry collection provides information about some of the interesting animals who live their lives in the water, such as the somersaulting salmons and the itty-bitty tetras.