MR. BOHM AND THE HERRING

Mr. Bohm, whimsically depicted as an oddly shaped little man with vacant spectacles and an anxious brow, likes to ponder childlike questions: Why does the dog choose that tree? Could a fish be taught to live on land? In the spirit of inquiry, he puts a herring in an aquarium and, by degrees, takes the water out, kindly keeping the fish moist as he shows it how to crawl. The fish gets quite adept; Mr. Bohm even takes it on walks, but one day it slips through a hole in the pier and returns to the water. Can it still swim? Mr. Bohm wonders... Inspired by a 19th-century anecdote, the wry story makes most sense on its philosophical level, though children will enjoy the foolish queries. Set in simple, deftly designed and painted backgrounds, Landstrîm's amiably caricatured gentleman is endearing. An offbeat tale, worth trying with children who also like to wonder. (Picture book. 4-8)