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THE MERMAID IN THE BATHTUB

Name: THE MERMAID IN THE BATHTUB
Author: Nurit Zarchi
ISBN: 978-1-63206-211-6

by Nurit Zarchi ; illustrated by Rutu Modan ; translated by Tal Goldfajn ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

Absurdist and realistic at the same time, this Israeli mermaid tale requires a dry sense of humor.

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Grain-of-Sand, a mermaid, suddenly appears in Mr. Whatwilltheysay’s apartment.

Greatly concerned with his neighbors’ opinions, blank-faced Mr. Whatwilltheysay wants the mermaid to leave, but only when no one can see her. Although he is attracted to her, he cannot imagine marrying her, her bottom half consisting of a fish tail—he is true to his rather obvious name. She rightly calls him out on his fish-shaming: “You’re saying that because you have legs.” She keeps trying to introduce her watery ways into his humdrum life, but he’s not falling for her the way that males usually do in mermaid tales. When she disappears, he realizes his mistake. He madly searches the Tel Aviv waterfront and, on the fourth night, finally spots her, rising majestically from the waves, in the bathtub she stole from his apartment. The old stories do ring true, but after the fearful guy joins her, Grain-of-Sand has the last word: “I saved the tub stopper for you, my darling.” The two main characters present white. Inspired by mermaid legends, this Israeli import has a wry humor that may mystify young readers here. The surrealist illustrations feature intense colors on very shiny paper; they will draw everyone’s attention, children and adults alike.

Absurdist and realistic at the same time, this Israeli mermaid tale requires a dry sense of humor. (Picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-63206-211-6

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Restless Books

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

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GHOULIA

From the Ghoulia series , Vol. 1

by Barbara Cantini ; illustrated by Barbara Cantini ; translated by Anna Golding ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2018

Younger readers will wish that they could toss their heads…or at least that they knew someone who could.

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A lonely zombie makes new friends just by being herself—on Halloween.

Quelled by Auntie Departed’s warnings, young Ghoulia has always confined her outdoor play to the walled grounds of Crumbling Manor…until she eavesdrops on some living children and learns about Halloween. Taking advantage of this perfect opportunity to fit in, she sneaks out with her albino greyhound (and gifted hairdresser), Tragedy, for some trick-or-treating. Hearing her name as “Julia,” the costumed children welcome her. But when they compete to see who’s the scariest, Ghoulia forgets herself and does her “special scary move,” tossing her head in the air and catching it in one hand. The children stand wide-eyed through no fewer than three illustrations on three successive pages—and then welcome her with wild delight and agree to keep her secret from the grown-ups. From then on they become regular visitors to Crumbling Manor. In full-color pictures that take up all or most of every page, Cantini depicts her undead urchin Tim Burton–style, with stitched lips, gray skin, and purple shadows beneath huge eyeballs (everyone else appears white—or sheet white). Assisted by suggestive labels (“Creaky steps”; “A spider visiting from the attic”; “Painting of Grandad Coffin”), the manorial setting has an Addams Family vibe and provides just the right spooky setting for this series opener. Halloween-themed activities are included in the backmatter.

Younger readers will wish that they could toss their heads…or at least that they knew someone who could. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3293-5

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

- BOOK REVIEW
ANYONE BUT IVY POCKET
by Caleb Krisp ; illustrated by Barbara Cantini

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BOA CONSTRUCTOR

From the The Binder of Doom series , Vol. 2

by Troy Cummings ; illustrated by Troy Cummings ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

Returning fans will be happy to see their friends, but this outing's unlikely to win them new ones.

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In the second installment of the Binder of Doom series, readers will reconnect with Alexander Bopp, who leads the Super Secret Monster Patrol, a group of mutant children who protect the citizens of their beloved town of Stermont.

His friends Nikki and Rip rejoin him to add new monsters and adventures to their ever growing binder of monsters. As in series opener Brute-Cake (2019), Alexander and his friends attend the local library’s summer program, this time for “maker-camp.” They are assigned a Maker Challenge, in which each camper is to “make a machine that performs a helpful task”; meanwhile, mechanical equipment is being stolen all over Stermont. Unfortunately, the pacing and focus of the book hop all over the place. The titular boa constructor (a two-headed maker-minded snake and the culprit behind the thefts) is but one of many monsters introduced here, appearing more than two-thirds of the way through the story—just after the Machine Share-Time concludes the maker-camp plotline. (Rip’s “most dangerous” invention does come in handy at the climax.) The grayscale illustrations add visuals that will keep early readers engaged despite the erratic storyline; they depict Alexander with dark skin and puffy hair and Nikki and Rip with light skin. Monster trading cards are interleaved with the story.

Returning fans will be happy to see their friends, but this outing's unlikely to win them new ones. (Paranormal adventure. 6-8)