A brave mermaid goes on a quest to regain her tail in Helenek’s children’s novel.

Minnie is a mermaid with a bob haircut and a sweet, clam-shaped nose. She’s short for her age and has epilepsy that causes her seizures; she’s also learning to deal with “big emotions,” and her biggest fears are loud noises and fire. Sometimes, when she feels overwhelmed, she takes three deep breaths to calm down; if that doesn’t work, “she stops herself by putting her hands on her side, then thinks of what she is doing, and finally asks herself ‘why?’ if she does not understand what is happening.” One day, a current pulls her into a jumble of plastic, cutting off her tail and rendering her unconscious. When she wakes, elder mermaids tell her that, to restore her tail, she must bring three precious gems to the Wishing Star Goddess, who will grant her a wish. Minnie, without her tail and away from her mother, relies on her friends and creative problem-solving. The Pink Gem is held inside a huge, stinging sea anemone; the Blue Gem is in a deep, dark part of the sea, close to a volcano; the Green Gem is hidden inside a terrifying seaweed maze. Minnie’s journey is filled with obstacles that frighten her, make her sad, and make her feel weak, she draws on her strengths to meet each challenge. Young readers will note how Minnie models compassion by reciprocating her friends’ kindnesses; when she returns home, the whole town celebrates her courage and persistence. This enchanting book is written by a 10-year-old author, who shares much in common with her protagonist; this lends a sense of authenticity to the narrative, which tells a beautifully structured and relatable story of how one youngster embraces life’s ups and downs on her journey. Helenek incorporates the story’s educational moments seamlessly, using Minnie’s extensive knowledge of the ocean and its inhabitants to add additional color to the characters and provide narrative twists.

An appealing ocean journey that’s full of heart.

A simple board book for babies that identifies six musical instruments.

Helenek (My First Book Fruits, 2014) uses simple graphics in both black and bright colors to depict different instruments—trumpet, piano, violin, flute, guitar and saxophone. Each spread focuses on a single instrument, with a large color illustration of the corresponding instrument and its name on the left-hand side as well as smaller illustrations of the instrument in bright colors on the right-hand side. The final spread features all the named instruments in black and white on the left and in their more traditional colors on the right. The simple graphics and bare minimum of text are designed for the youngest of listeners, and the thick, sturdy pages are suited to an audience that might take a bite. Including some photo illustrations along with the graphics would help youngsters identify the instruments in real life. For example, only a single style of baby grand piano is featured, though showing an upright piano could help youngsters make a connection. Similarly, showing musicians using the instruments would be useful. While including all musical instruments may be too much to ask, it’s surprising that drums are absent, since toy drums are a favorite of young children and are probably more common than violins or flutes. That said, the book is only meant as a short introduction, and pairing it with listening to different musical styles or providing the actual toy instruments could help build a musical foundation in babies.

Bright colors and sharp contrast make this baby book a visually appealing first foray into musical instruments.