An appealing ocean journey that’s full of heart.
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.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 172
Publisher: manuscript
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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