The Sea Monster

August 15, 2022
Aquatic adventures lead to unexpected friendships. Readers return to Tidal Grove, an aquatic classroom for half-human, half-sea-creature students in this second installment of the Mermaid Days series. In this book, they're reintroduced to characters such as Vera, a tan-skinned, brown-haired mermaid, and Beaker, a pale-skinned, dark-haired half-octopus whose legs have a mind of their own. The story, set across three chapters, follows Vera and Beaker as they discover how to be patient in a tide pool; discuss the Kraken, a fabled giant sea monster; and later make friends when the Kraken follows them to the library. The uneven story, full of bland dialogue, moves erratically, and the lessons are as shallow as the tide pool itself. The diversity of the characters' skin tones and hair should be commended, but the illustrations are flat. Biology-minded readers will be quick to note that Mr. Burbles, the pale-skinned, blond-haired librarian, has frog legs, and amphibians make their homes in freshwater not the sea. Mermaid-obsessed readers will undoubtedly give this book a go but will be left unsatisfied. Throw this one overboard. (Early reader. 6-8)

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September 1, 2022
Grades K-3 In this second entry in the Mermaid Days series, pigtailed kid mermaid Vera and her underwater pals have more marine learning adventures. Tidal Grove teacher Ms. Dorsal (part seahorse) takes her class on an exploratory field trip to the tide pools. Vera and Beaker (part octopus) meet hermit crabs and mussels, until Beaker's legs, which have a mind of their own, scare away the small inhabitants. As they head back to school, they encounter giant bubbles, pass through a cloud of ink, and (at first without their knowledge) are followed by a giant kraken. Three self-contained short chapters are told primarily through dialogue, with color-coded speech bubbles relaying enthusiastic, inquisitive conversations. Uno's full-color digital-cartoon illustrations have animated appeal. A pithy "Did You Know?" page of science facts is included, along with easy-to-follow instructions for drawing a kraken and an interactive storytelling prompt. Bright, buoyant and magical, this is a swimmingly fine choice for beginning readers.

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October 1, 2022

K-Gr 2-Children who love the idea of living under the sea, especially when a mermaid and a kraken are some of the undersea denizens, will enjoy the setting and characters of this beginning reader book. Vera has a purple mermaid tail, and her best friend Beaker is an orange octopus from the waist down. These friends live in Tidal Grove along with two other friends and two adults, their teacher and librarian. This story, which is part of Acorn's "Mermaid Days" series, has three short chapters. Text is contained in speech bubbles that match the color of the character's body, and illustrations are bright and clean. Harmless adventures contain aspects of ordinary life, such as a trip to the tide pools, as well as fantasy, including two encounters with a legendary monster that has been sleeping and dreaming for 100 years. Characters are sweet and curious, though sometimes clueless; for example, Beaker drops some sunglasses he found on the tentacles of the kraken and thinks the soft, suction-covered surface is just squishy coral. Unfortunately, the stories are not overly engaging and the inclusion of animals from different habitats is somewhat random. Why have a dragonfly at the tide pools when dragonflies live near freshwater wetland habitats? Why is the librarian a frog when all the other characters are ocean dwellers? The final pages show how to draw a kraken and invite readers to write about meeting their own sea monster. VERDICT Beginning readers will enjoy the undersea setting and characters.-Sally James

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