Zimmy: The Human Fish

Gr 2-5–Adler offers a brisk picture book biography of Charles “Zimmy” Zibelman, a Russian Jewish immigrant who became a carnival attraction and endurance swimmer after losing both legs in a trolley accident at age nine. The narrative traces his family’s flight from pogroms in Russia, his childhood in bustling Chicago, and the accident that changed his life. Adler emphasizes Zibelman’s ingenuity, first navigating on a homemade roller-skate board, then performing swimming feats that culminated in his audacious 1937 attempt to swim 145 miles down the Hudson River. Shepperson’s illustrations in watercolor over pen and ink are lively and cinematic, filled with period detail. Characters throughout are depicted with varied skin tones; Zibelman and his family appear white. The compositions favor movement and spectacle, reflecting the showmanship at the center of his career. The text is engaging and briskly paced, rich in historical color and peppered with memorable details. Yet the closing line—“He refused to allow his disability to limit him”—leans into a familiar triumph-over-disability framing that simplifies the systemic barriers disabled performers faced, a well-intentioned but narrow sentiment that may prompt conversations about how resilience narratives are constructed.