THE MYSTERIOUS POOL

Three friends discover a hidden pool whose magical properties could help protect an animal habitat in this illustrated children’s book.

Fifth graders Cosmo, Leigh, and Tara pay a visit to the spooky mansion owned by Cosmo’s grandmother. There, they encounter several talking animals and discover a secret door that leads, Grandma reveals, to the tunnels of an abandoned gold and silver mine where a pool is hidden. Many years ago, a biologist invented an elixir that allows animals to speak. To protect the secret, she poured the potion into the underground waterhole, which now serves as a place for animals of all kinds to meet, talk, and solve problems such as habitat loss. The children make an adventurous journey to the hidden pool, but Leigh has trouble maneuvering his wheelchair. A glowing lady gives him a special drink that makes operating the chair effortless—he can even fly or skip over the water—allowing him to joyfully explore the crystal-lined tunnels. The kids learn that the biologist also invented a camouflage liquid that can protect endangered animals while making humans’ fears become real. The liquid is found and distributed around Grandma’s house, scaring off would-be property developers for good. In her second book featuring Leigh, McIver gives her character a way to experience mobility that celebrates rather than erases his wheelchair. This type of lovely scene is hard to find in children’s books. The fantasy of saving endangered species and habitats also has strong appeal as well as the fun of potions, talking animals, and hidden wonders. But the writing suffers from the overuse of dialogue tags (“Cosmo chuckles”; “Tara giggles”; “whines Tara”). Saunders, illustrating her latest children’s book, supplies winsome monochrome and color pictures of the White characters that convey the story’s compassion.

A cozy and warmhearted adventure with some nice touches.