OONA

A young Black mermaid goes after a treasure but learns an important lesson along the way.

Oona is “sweet,” a little “salty,” and “brave and curious, like most treasure hunters.” Since she was a baby, she has gotten into adventures chasing treasure. But now she has Otto, her rescue otter pup, to come along for the ride. The one special treasure Oona can’t figure out how to obtain is a crown wedged tightly into a rift. She tries three times to get the crown unstuck—the artistic but vague language and pictures make it difficult to see exactly how—but when she is struck on the head by a ship’s plank, she gives up on the crown and on treasure hunting altogether. Oona pursues other interests. She naps. She draws in the sand. She hangs out with her “land friends”—two White children. But Oona is “missing her spark.” Then a seashell washes ashore, and she gets a new idea. Some ingenuity and invention and encouragement from friends become the keys to her success. Oona is an adorable protagonist, with her dark skin, enormous Afro, and striped, orange tail. With her ups and downs and her fundamental ebullience, she will easily win fans. While the details of her obstacles and problem-solving methods are not quite clear, the messages of persistence and of valuing the work of one’s own creation are strong and effective. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.)

A small heroine young readers will be happy to meet.