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
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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