Another modern classic from one of our finest illustrators.
The classic fairy tale is reimagined as a story of friendship, family, and inner strength.
Melody, the youngest princess in the realm of the merfolk, is curious about the world above the ocean surface. She collects objects from sunken ships and asks questions no one will answer. One day, she follows her guardian turtle to the surface and sees a human girl on shore, who waves to her. Melody wants a friend, and when the Sea Witch, a monstrous red creature, offers her legs in exchange for her beautiful voice, she is fairly easily led astray despite the long-standing warnings of the merfolk about the Sea Witch. Melody makes it to shore and makes a fast and deep friendship with Zion, but when she discovers that her voice has empowered the Sea Witch to attack the Sea King’s realm, she must return, regain her power, and restore order for her family and her merpeople. The replacement of the original love story with a friendship story is a warm and welcome touch for children, and Melody’s agency throughout makes her an admirable heroine even if her quickness to leave her family seems rash. Pinkney’s lush watercolor scenes draw readers in with rich detail and vibrant hues. The merfolk and Zion are brown-skinned with curls, and the meticulous rendering of the merfolks’ fins and shells brings the mythical creatures within reach of realistic imagination.
Another modern classic from one of our finest illustrators. (author's note) (Picturebook. 5-9)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-44031-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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