Jim Curious: A Voyage to the Heart of the Sea

Gr 1–4—In this wordless picture book—esque graphic novel, Picard gets to the heart of visual storytelling with a beautifully illustrated 3-D deep sea adventure. At the outset, Jim Curious leaves his house in a clunky diving suit. With each step, he bongs and klangs as he awkwardly makes his way to the sea. Once the title character descends the ladder into the water, he immediately floats into another world, as do readers. This kind of trip to the darkest depths is a solitary one, and the lack of text reinforces the isolation of deep sea diving. But Jim Curious is anything but alone as he encounters a multitude of fauna, flora, and forgotten ruins. Picard's whimsical and detailed drawings take viewers on a journey that has to be seen to be believed. This kind of interactive experience (two pairs of cardboard anaglyph glasses are included with the book), can sometimes be gimmicky, but it works here, as the 3-D images make this title completely immersive, with layers and depth that enhance the visual narrative. Readers will forget that these pages are flat and will find themselves trying to reaching into the story with smiles on their faces. An amazing adventure for all ages, especially graphic novel aficionados.—Billy Parrott, New York Public Library