Describes the creative life of inventor Lodner Phillips from the perspective of his young daughter, Virena, who observes her father's many partially successful innovations before a fishing trip on Lake Michigan prompts an imaginative question and the creation of a submarine.

Candace Fleming is the author of many picture and young adult books, including Boxes for Katje, Gator Gumbo, and The Great and Only Barnum, a finalist for theYALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. She lives in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Boris Kulikov is the critically acclaimed illustrator of many children's books, including Max's Words by Kate Banks and, most recently, Barnum's Bones by Tracey Fern. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.