Nemo Redux: Gilbert in Deep by Jane Clarke.

Heaven knows, great white sharks need an image re-make, and in Gilbert in Deep Gilbert, an appealing young great white, along with his sidekick Rita Remorra, like Nemo before him, decides to dunk his usual backwater hide-and-seek to play "hide and deep."

Diving into the forbidden abyss beyond the reef, the two runaway youngsters swim into a darkened cavern to continue their game, where they encounter some downright ugly denizens of the deep, a bioluminescent angler fish and a vile-tempered viper fish to name a couple. After a brief confrontation with these toothy guys, Gilbert and Rita quickly do a deep sea version of "I hear my mama calling," and zip back to the safety of their lagoon. An appropriate scolding from Mama Great White ("You're in deep trouble!"), greets the two, who are reconciled to staying out of the depths until they're a bit bigger.

You might be excused for thinking that the familiar story line of the little runaway is a bit "washed up," from overuse, but here it provides the vehicle for inventive illustrator Charles Fuge to create some charming underwater scenes in a wonderful deep-water palette. Gilbert is portrayed as a lovable, impetuous little shark, and Rita, with her googly-eyed "I'm a follower" look, is just right as the clueless buddy ready to go along with any plan. For children who love stories of underwater animals, this nearly new book and its predecessor, Gilbert the Great, do a lot to offset the unfortunate publicity generated by that family black sheep of the great whites, cousin "Jaws."