FISH STORY

Craig isn't a fisherman, but he's sitting in a boat musing about wishes when he strikes up a conversation with a huge fish. ``Otto'' has just realized he can grant wishes; he goes home with Craig (``graceful[ly] skimming along on his tail''), stays for dinner (on wife Ann's invitation; Craig cooks), and engages in gentle discussion—with mild philosophical overtones—about what wishes would be appropriate. In the end, Ann wishes for ``an old, lovely house that a family in a children's book would live in,'' Craig ``that all the people I love be happy and healthy,'' and their son Henry that Otto would live with them (no problem). When little Felix is finally old enough for his wish, he gets two—this is a benign, laid-back world, unlike Grimm's closely related ``The Fisherman and His Wife.'' The contrast is intriguing, and New Yorker writer Andres tells her offbeat tale in an engagingly literate voice; but McGraw's gorgeous illustrations steal the show. His collages of simple forms, textured with spatters and dappled with artful splashes, are a feast of luscious color. Sophisticated whimsy, not for every taste but sure to find an audience. (Picture book. 4-10)