A cautionary tale of life undersea is the theme for Bermuda's latest children's book.

`Fish Tales', written in verse and lavishly illustrated, is described as "an adventure story of a journey'', taken by Sam, a bream and Freddie, a slippery dick. That journey is from Bermuda's North Rock to the sea shore, with a frightening exploration on the way of a deep, dark cave, before they reach their summer vacation home, the hull of a sunken boat, "once a proud vessel no longer afloat''.

The moral of the tale comes when the two little fish decide to explore the nearby beach -- only to become trapped in a fast-shrinking puddle as the tide goes out.

The Bermudian author of `Fish Tales', already well known for her work as the Co-ordinator of the Diabetes Education and Counselling Centre at King Edward VII Hospital, is Mrs. Debbie Jones.

"This is a collaboration between two great friends,'' she explains, "because Jodie Tucker Webster and I have known each other since we were three. She used to love drawing fish and I wrote this long poem which she then illustrated -- so that's how the book evolved.'' Mrs. Jones says that most of the story was composed while she was walking the dog around the area of their Bailey's Bay home every morning: "The dog's called Sam, so that's why I gave the fish the same name!'' This, she admits, is the first thing she has written, "although I did win a prize when I was eight, from `Aunty Nell' on ZBM for a poem I'd written!'' Mrs. Jones, who attended Warwick Academy, trained as a nurse in Canada and then specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes at the University of Toronto.

Illustrator Jodie Tucker Webster now lives in England with her husband and three children, but many will remember her strikingly successful art show at the Bermuda Society of Arts at the end of 1993. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in painting in 1976.

It took about six months to complete the watercolour pictures for the book and overall, says Mrs. Jones, `Fish Tales' has been a two-year project.

And is there a sequel planned? "Oh yes,'' she exclaims, "It's hinted in the very last line of the book, which is: `Does Freddie keep his promise? Just you wait and see!'' Noting that their children (twins who are now eight and Richard who is 11) loved to read the fishy poem, lawyer husband Michael Jones became her enthusiastic publishing `agent'.

The embryo book was placed in the hands of Horst Augustinovic at Print Link Ltd., who produced this attractive, hard-backed volume.

`Fish Tales' which retails at $17.95 is on sale at bookshops throughout the Island with book signings planned at Cooper's as part of the popular `Harbour Nights' late-night shopping which begins this month.

A FISHY STORY -- Mrs. Debbie Jones, author of the newly published `Fish Tales', with illustrations by Bermudian artist Jodie Tucker Webster.