Not blessed with the adorable good looks of a koala, the mythic mystery of a dinosaur, or even the useful familiarity of a dog, the manatee is an infrequent hero in the world of children's literature. It doesn't help matters that the poor thing has a name that's so difficult to rhyme. But the unnamed hero of John Lithgow and Ard Hoyt's I'm a Manatee (really, a boy dreaming he is a manatee) sees plenty of upside to the life of the animal that's been indelicately nicknamed the "cow of the sea." And when rhymes are unavailable to state his case, he simply makes some up: "Encumbered by my lumbering gigan-atee,/ I'm thought to be an ocean-going brute!/ The least appealing creature on the planet-ee,/ But to a manatee, I'm cute!" The words in the book are the same as the lyrics in the song version of I'm a Manatee, which is included on an enclosed CD featuring a singing Lithgow as well as in musical notation in the back of the book. The verses sound more natural in their original musical form than they do read aloud in the pages of the book where they can clunk a bit. Still, there's much to like about in this aquatic flight of fancy, including the kind of wordplay moms and dads will enjoy (very few kids' books contain the phrase "immune from human folly and inanity") and Hoyt's illustrations of the title animal, which manages to be simultaneously homely and adorable. (Ages 4 to 8) --John Moe


From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Lithgow applies his facility with music and language to create a witty, whimsical underwater fantasy. Based on the premise of a boy who dreams that he is a manatee, this song has sophisticated vocabulary and a dignified cadence and rhyme. Many elementary school children will not understand words like "inanity," "urbanity," "idle vanity," and "encumbered," so adults may need to translate the verses. Also, reading aloud requires practice in order to master the rhythm. However, music is the universal language understood by all, so just pop in the accompanying CD and stride along with the humorous lyrics and steady beat. Done in colored pencils, pen, and ink, the full- and double-page illustrations are fun and engaging. Hoyt's smirking manatees are positively endearing. An amusing accompaniment to units on this popular species.Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FLCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
From time to time I dream that I'm a manatee, Undulating underneath the sea A little boy dreams of becoming a manatee, and what a dream it is! With his new gigan-atee manatee proportions, he sets off on an underwater adventure with his manatee friends. Join John Lithgow and Ard Hoyt on this silly aquatic escapade, then sing along with John, who performs "I'm a Manatee" on the enclosed CD.


Card catalog description
A boy imagines that he is a manatee, sprinkling seaweed on his raisin bran-atee and dignifying his watery domain with his wit, sophistication, and urbanity.


About the Author
John Lithgow is the New York Times best-selling author of Micawber, Marsupial Sue, and The Remarkable Farkle McBride. An award-winning actor, he has starred on stage, on film, and on television. He performs in concerts for children across the country, and has recorded two CDs, Farkle & Friends and Singin' in the Bathtub. Visit John at www.lithgowforkids.com.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Author/actor John Lithgow takes a young boy on an imaginative dip into the deep blue in this splashy book-and-CD set that's bound to have kids flipping over our oceanic friends. Ard Hoyt's fluid colored pencil, ink, and pen drawings show a sailor suit–clad lad swimming around his room alongside an algae-backed manatee, as he dreams, "I'm a manatee, Undulating underneath the sea. Unshackled by the chains of idle vanity, A modest manatee, That's me." Lithgow's rolling rhymes take readers on an awesome romp as the boy describes how he looks, what he eats ("I sprinkle seaweed on my Raisin Bran-atee, The perfect manatee cuisine."), how he acts, and what he thinks about his underwater domain. His quiet, freedom-loving life is truly magical and awe inspiring, and Hoyt's art carries Lithgow's words even further, showing the boy-manatee afloat with various aquatic creatures (including a guinea pig fish), communing with a group of smiley-faced manatees, and even surprising a troublesome fisherman. Young readers will let their imaginations set sail, too, especially when they put on the included CD of Lithgow singing his jubilant ode to manatees. With a treasure chest of New York Times bestsellers like Micawber and Marsupial Sue, Lithgow takes kids into a fun-loving, marine playground and provides adults with a storytime winner, showing his creative talent to be as wondrous as ever. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

A boy imagines that he is a manatee, sprinkling seaweed on his raisin bran-atee and dignifying his watery domain with his wit, sophistication, and urbanity.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

No difference between my face and fann-atee,
A stately manatee,
That's me.

As a little boy falls asleep, his his pet guinea pig's water bottle begins to leak, filling the room with water, and the boy imagines himself to be a manatee. So begins an ocean adventure in which the manatee bonds with other undersea cratures, stops a boater from dumping trash overboard, and returns home -- a little damper-- in the morning.

In this hilarious story, filled with clever wordplay and rhymes that beg to be read, John Lithgow celebrates an animal that kids love. Ard Hoyt's imaginative, detailed illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. The score to the song is provided, along with a cd of John Lithgow singing the song and an instrumental track.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

The well-known actor dons his other hat, that of comic poet genius for kids, in his most gleeful book yet. The title contains pretty much the whole plot, except that it's a little boy dreaming of being a manatee, "immune from human folly and inanity," rather than an actual manatee, who narrates. — Elizabeth Ward

Publishers Weekly

Adding to his oeuvre of rhyming song-book hybrids, Lithgow (The Remarkable Farkle McBride) heads under the sea to extol the joys of being a manatee. A boy dreams of taking on the form of this favorite sea animal-"No difference between my face and fann-atee,/ .../ The least appealing creature on the planet-ee." The youngster and his fellow manatees "nose along the cozy ocean floor" snacking on seaweed (it garnishes their "Raisin Bran-atee"), exploring new nooks and crannies and relishing their "world of silence and of sanity." Like Lithgow's previous works, this one takes a read-through or two to fully appreciate the rhythm and sometimes sophisticated tone; the CD recording brings it all home in fine fashion, however, and will soon have many adults and children singing along. Young readers will likely fancy the silliness of the wordplay here and will enjoy being challenged by the vocabulary, an aspect of the "stately" personality Lithgow gives his character ("No one near will ever hear me use profanity,/ Because a manatee/ Has his image to maintain"). Hoyt's (One-Dog Canoe) pencil-and-watercolor art possesses graceful, fluid lines befitting the underwater setting. The blubbery gray and wrinkly manatees convey a sweet and unexpected charm. The artist wittily extends the story, too, adding playful elements that enhance the dream-fantasy aspects of the tale and even making an anti-litter statement (the manatees give a careless boater a taste of his own medicine). Ages 5-8. (Sept.) FYI: A CD containing Lithgow's vocals as well as an instrumental of the song is packaged with the book. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

A young boy takes us along with him as he dreams he is a manatee "Undulating underneath the sea." Playing with words, rhymes, rhythm and humor, the brief, simple text is the verbal part of a song which is sung by Lithgow on the accompanying CD. The tune is bouncy and jolly, and is repeated without the words for the reader to vocalize alone; the score is also in the book. Not only is the life of the manatee celebrated, but much information on the appealing creature is included along the way. Hoyt uses colored pencils, pen and ink, mostly on double pages, to depict the underwater adventures of our hero and his friends. Vibrant with youthful adventure and comic interplay including the anthropomorphic "lumbering gigan-atee," the visual story adds the subliminal message to the plea to protect this endangered animal. 2003, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Ages 4 to 8.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Lithgow applies his facility with music and language to create a witty, whimsical underwater fantasy. Based on the premise of a boy who dreams that he is a manatee, this song has sophisticated vocabulary and a dignified cadence and rhyme. Many elementary school children will not understand words like "inanity," "urbanity," "idle vanity," and "encumbered," so adults may need to translate the verses. Also, reading aloud requires practice in order to master the rhythm. However, music is the universal language understood by all, so just pop in the accompanying CD and stride along with the humorous lyrics and steady beat. Done in colored pencils, pen, and ink, the full- and double-page illustrations are fun and engaging. Hoyt's smirking manatees are positively endearing. An amusing accompaniment to units on this popular species.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews