THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS…MERMAIDS

A child searches for a mermaid.

When the narrator’s sister declares that “there’s no such thing as mermaids,” a search for evidence of the mythical creatures is in order, soon including a stream, a pond, an indoor pool, and the beach, among other places. The narrator doesn’t have any luck, but readers will catch brief glimpses of a mermaid—a tail appears on one page; bright pink hair can be found on another. Children will enjoy this Where’s Waldo?–esque element. The rhyming text follows a predictable pattern that will appeal to preschool-aged readers. Busy but never overwhelming, the illustrations effectively prevent the mermaid from being too obvious at first glance. Some of the scenes contain puzzling elements. A beach scene shows the narrator and sister in long sleeves and pants, but a nearby shopkeeper is wearing a sleeveless shirt, and it’s clearly hot enough for beachgoers to wade in the water. What season is it? These details don’t make or break the story, however, especially given that this is a tale about a magical creature who can seemingly float from one body of water to another. Narrator and sister are both brown-skinned; background characters are diverse in terms of skin tone, age, and dress.

Fun and breezy fodder for mermaid fans.