A fun, exciting underwater romp.
Mermaid glamour meets action and suspense in Perry-Church’s vividly imagined debut fantasy book for children.
Nestled deep in an ancient ocean, the kingdom of Merland is a formidable and beautiful place in which to grow up. It’s also the home of two mermaids named Shimmer and StarFire, as well as their tag-along little sister, SeaStar. After their mother’s death in a shark attack, they’re a little wary of wandering alone. However, the tantalizing promise of a magic pearl lures them out on a treasure hunt in the open sea, where they’re sure to find both danger and adventure. On their hunt, they encounter deadly sharks, witness shocking transformations, and make incredible discoveries. Along the way, one of the mermaids also finds a surprising source of strength. The story is set against the backdrop of a richly imagined undersea kingdom; for example, the author details the dangers of Merland as well as some of its strange, magical elements. However, the story also offers plenty that young readers will relate to, including bossy older siblings and struggles with self-image and self-esteem. The book touches on deeper issues of loss and grief, and handles the death of the young mermaids’ mother with sensitivity and tact. The timid, awkward-looking SeaStar is an endearingly unlikely heroine, and readers will be surprised and delighted to see their experiences reflected in hers. With its glossary and several pages of mermaid-related information, this book is classroom-ready, as well as a worthy bedtime tale. Some members of the book’s target audience may find that its large amount of text and somewhat advanced vocabulary (“she had a streamlined figure with pronounced human features”) make it a challenging independent read. However, it promises to enchant many others with its equal measures of magic, warmth, and thrills.
A fun, exciting underwater romp.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-1480814813
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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