A creative, myth-based ecological tale.
In Lee’s children’s book, mermaid characters tackle ocean pollution.
Mei, a mermaid from Orchid Island, just off Taiwan, receives a letter from Princess Hwangok of the Mermaids International Rescue Alliance saying that “Pirate Polymer is creating trouble in the East Sea” and Mei must gather her mermaid team. She begins her adventure in Batticaloa Lagoon on Sri Lanka where there’s an oil spill, then meets parrotfish and dugongs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Near Belum Rainforest, she finds her mermaid friend Duyung; they see various sea creatures, including a blue whale, while rounding up other mermaid teammates. Later, sea turtles guide them to Tuki, a whale shark, who’s “ill from eating too much plastic.” A few humans also join the mermaids’ cause. Finally, the team finds Pirate Polymer dumping trash into the ocean, which is harmful to his beloved Irrawaddy dolphins. Readers will be eager to see if the MIRA team succeeds in stopping him. Lee adeptly weaves Asian Pacific locations, animals, and mythology into an inspiring, environmentally conscious story that entertains and educates children. Lee presents many learning opportunities throughout, and Su’s cartoon illustrations of Asian Pacific culture are colorful and detailed. Ocean pollution and dangers to sea life are prominent throughout, and important information follows in backmatter about the narrative’s animals, mythology, geography, and historical references.
A creative, myth-based ecological tale.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781913891589
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Balestier Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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