Zimmy: The Human Fish

In Charles “Zimmy” Zibelman (1891–1952), Adler (the Cam Jansen series) focuses on an exhibition swimmer who rose to fame in the interwar years. A refugee from Russia whose legs were amputated following a Chicago streetcar accident when he was nine, Zimmy became an endurance swimmer, claiming that “without legs, he had extra buoyancy. He could bounce in the water ‘like a cork.’ ” When audiences for his swim shows began to thin, Zimmy staged an audacious stunt: in August 1937, the self-proclaimed “Human Fish” began a remarkable 145-mile, nearly 148-hour Hudson River journey from Albany to New York City, insulating his body with grease and smoking cigars throughout. Straightforward storytelling occasionally hints at broader questions around celebrity culture and America’s fascination with resilience stories, while portraying the subject as someone who “refused to allow his disability to limit him.” Jaunty watercolor-washed pen-and-ink illustrations by Shepperson (the Franklin School Friends series) capture the swimmer’s irrepressible personality—the pictures hum with vintage newsreel vitality as a roaring crowd rewards Zimmy’s determination. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)