Above And Below-Hope

When you stand on the shores of a vast body of water, you can never be sure what resides beneath the surface.  Scientists, through research, have given us many answers, but mysteries remain.  More than 180 years ago an author used the ocean as the setting for one of his more widely read fairy tales.  Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid is one of those stories you never forget reading for the first time.  

Highly acclaimed and beloved author illustrator Jerry Pinkney has adapted the story for new generations of readers.  His illustrations are as lush and eloquent as the ocean in all its glory.  The Little Mermaid (Little, Brown and Company, November 3, 2020) written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is remarkable in every aspect.

Far out in the ocean and miles below the surface, two

realms sat divided by sea mountains.

On one side of the mountains evil lurked.  It was the home of the Sea Witch, known for her selfishness and hunger for power.  On the other side of the mountains was the realm of the mighty Sea King.  There he and his four daughters resided.  The daughters were warned to never enter the Sea Witch's domain.

Of the four daughters, Melody, had a magnificent voice and a curious spirit.  She was not content with her expected behaviors.  She told stories about the objects from above, drifting down into their watery world.  Her sisters did not understand her fascination.  One day when Melody's guardian, an elder sea turtle, rose to the surface for air, she followed.

Breaking through the waves, she gasped at the sight of flying fish, whales leaping above the water, and the warm ball in the sky, the sun.  What astonished her the most was a girl walking on 

two sticklike legs

along the sandy beach.  Melody started to sing, and the girl turned to watch her and waved.

Urged back into the sea by her guardian, Melody knew she could not walk upon the sand.  She knew the girl could never come down into the ocean.  At that moment, a sea snake slithered near her and lured her with promises to the forbidden darkness on the other side of the mountains.  There the Sea Witch proposed a bargain.  It terrified Melody, but she sang into the shell offered to her, giving the wicked being her enchanting voice.  Swimming to the surface, she looked around marveling at the sights and drank the Sea Witch's potion.

The girl on the beach, Zion, and Melody spent the entire day together until near dusk.  In response to a question, Melody cleverly explained how she arrived on land.  Zion decided to give her a gift, too.  After a profound comment by Zion, the course of events changed dramatically.  The bonds of friendship once formed cannot be broken by place or time.  Deep within us, a fight for right and light will give us the strength we need.

With each reading of this singular adaption of The Little Mermaid by master storyteller Jerry Pinkney, you'll find the words wrapping around you like swirls of water when you swim.  His choice of words is extraordinary, painting pictures as vivid as his artwork.  Dialogue is a part of the narrative bringing intimacy to many pivotal portions of the tale.  Here is a passage.

As her scales fell away, Melody found it more difficult to swim

as she drifted toward the shore.  At last she felt fine sand against

her skin and winced as a sharp shell cut into her foot.  She was just

starting to stand on wobbly legs when she heard a girl's voice.

"Hello!" said the smiling stranger.  "It's you, isn't it? From out

in the ocean?" The girl reached with a steadying hand.  "I'm Zion.

What's your name?"

Melody tried to answer, but no sound left her lips.  Instead,

she smiled back, shivering as the breeze whipped through the

seaweed clinging to her body.

When you open the dust jacket, the scene shown on the front, right, extends to the flap edges on the right and on the far left of the back.  Over the spine and on the left, Melody's tail bends and moves in the water with the tips of the end breaking the surface in bubbling splashes.  Three seagulls, on the back, fly over wise words from the narrative.

"You should never give up

your voice . . .

for anything."

On the right flap two smaller fish seem to dance near Melody.  The hues of green and blue with the radiant yellow of the sky complement the light in Melody's face and the sparkle of her attire and the water around her.  

On the book case, it's as if we are looking down on the surface of the ocean.  We are looking at the backs of Melody and her guardian, the old sea turtle.  They are swimming in a marbleized array of blues and greens.

On the opening endpapers is a depiction of the Sea King's realm, his castle of coral, lighting the surrounding area of ocean animal and plant life.  With a page turn, on the left mermaids and merman dance in a spin of blue and fish.  Opposite, on the title page, Melody and her guardian swim to the right.  On the closing endpapers are the dedication and information about the book.  The scene is from land looking across the water, waves crashing against the shore as the sun sets.  A lighthouse sits on a cliff on the far-left side.  There are two pairs of elements which signify the friendship of the girls and gifts given.  Already, as readers, we are enveloped in the fine details Jerry Pinkney includes in this beautiful book.

Jerry Pinkney's illustrations rendered 

using pencil and watercolor on Arches cold-pressed paper  

are mesmerizing and opulent.  Each double-page picture takes us deeply into the story.  We become a party of Melody's journey in finding her purpose, and of her family recognizing that purpose. 

To assist in pacing there are four single-page illustrations, although two of them are joined by identical elements.  Perspectives shift flawlessly to accentuate portions of the story.  You can't help but pause to enjoy the illustrations which enriches the text.  This is a tale to savor.

One of my many, many favorite images is that which enhances the portion of text quoted above.  On the left side, the pearly full moon is setting among lingering clouds.  A wash of the ocean moves toward shore as a single seagull watches the two girls on the right.  Melody, not sure of her new legs, is wrapped in Zion's shawl.  On her head is a crown of sea plants.  Seaweed drapes over her body.  In her left hand she holds the doll she found in the ocean.  Zion reaches out to help Melody tucking the fabric around her body.  She is wearing a brightly colored hat and scarf, a striped shirt, denim vest and short skirt.  The two new friends stand on the sandy beach as waves wash around their feet.

The adaptation of The Little Mermaid written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is one of the finest I have ever read.  On a lovely double-page visual, Jerry Pinkney includes an author's note speaking about his motivation for creating this book.  This illustration is a wordless continuation of the story before the closing endpapers.  (Truthfully, I love this picture, too.)  I can't imagine a collection, personal or professional, without a copy of this book.  

To learn more about Jerry Pinkney and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  There is more about Jerry Pinkney in a page at the Norman Rockwell Museum website.  In a guest post at School Library Journal, Jerry Pinkney speaks about this book.  Here is a link to the book launch at Books of Wonder.

Gem

Sometimes very, very early in the morning, just past midnight, the sight of the moon in the crystal clear air of October is marvelous and a bit magical.  It casts a glow unlike any other light.  Everything it touches is seen anew.

In her newest gift to readers, author illustrator Molly Idle takes us into watery depths.  There reside legendary creatures, caretakers of the sea. Pearl (Little, Brown and Company, October 9, 2018) is about one of the smallest residing there who yearns to join the others with a special task of her own.

In the vast sea of blue,
some mermaids watched over the waves
breaking upon the endless beaches.

Each of the mermaids acts as guardians of the sea.  They may care for the coral reefs, vast swirling kelp, or enormous living beings.  One day Pearl asks her mother to allow her to be a protector.  She believes she is big enough.  Her mother agrees.

Together mother and daughter swim and swim and swim until they break to the surface.  Spread before them is a sandy beach stretching as far as the eye can see.  Pearl's mother tells her this expanse is for her but . . .

When her mother gives her a single grain of sand under her care, Pearl is stunned.  How can her mother give her this tiny task? Now alone on the beach, this mermaid wonders about her worth.  Pearl swims and swims and swims back to the bottom of the sea heartbroken.

Pearl is angry at the grain of sand holding it tightly in her hand.  Wait!  A soft glow is shining between her fingers.  It only gleams when her hands are closed around the single grain of sand.  When she opens her hand to look at it closely, Pearl can see it's different.

Day by day, night by night Pearl tends to this single grain of glowing sand.  It begins to grow and grow and grow until it lifts Pearl and her now happier heart toward the surface of the sea.  The watched becomes watcher.


Reading the sentences penned by Molly Idle in this story is like walking along a sandy beach under the light of the moon with the waves quietly lapping along the shore.  Each word is a reflection of the world in which Pearl lives.

. . . towering forests of kelp rising from the ocean floor.
A wave of disappointment washed over her.

Molly mixes dialogue with her narrative to connect us on a more personal level with Pearl.  This also allows us to see the wisdom in her mother's decision.  At one point in the story Molly uses alliteration with verbs to marvelous effect.  Here is another passage.

Her heart grew heavy,
and the weight of it pulled her
down . . .
down . . .
down . . .
. . . where the salt of her tears mingled with the sea.


The luminous hues of blue spread across the opened dust jacket from flap edge to flap edge.  The elegant font for the title text is a lovely hint of the beauty unfolding in this story. (The jacket features matte lamination with a pearlescent ink and embossed type.) The waves of Pearl's hair are designed to be framed by the opened shell.  On the spine a tiny Pearl is diving toward a tiny glow at the opposite end.  To the left, the back of the opened shell has a glow around it.  The words above it read:

Sometimes the tiniest light
can shine the brightest. . .

Removing the jacket reveals a book case in hues of blue going from light to dark from the bottom to the top.  On the right Pearl floats, her head bent down.  She is looking at the now glowing grain of sand in her cupped hands.  The opening and closing endpapers are a reversal of the shades going from light to dark from the top to the bottom.  A page turn reveals a breathtaking view of Pearl rising from the sea as the curve of a huge wave moves toward an expanse of beach.

Each double-page picture is brimming with animation and emotion.  Rendered with Prismacolor pencils on vellum-finish Bristol Molly Idle takes us into an extraordinary realm. The mermaids' color and hair formations mirror the portion of the sea under their care.  Molly shifts the perspective causing us to pause page turn after page turn.  Sometimes we are going up and sometimes we are floating without moving.  Sometimes we see the sea in a larger view, other times we move in close noting the facial expressions on Pearl.  We watch as the colors of the sea grow richer and deeper as day turns to night.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is of Pearl sleeping in the opened shell.  The dark waters of the sea surround her drifting with light and shadow.  On the right the base of the shell is several shades of midnight blue.  On the bottom of the opened shell is a lush rose, a bit lighter than Pearl. She sleeps holding the growing grain of sand (pearl).  Peeking from the top of the opened shell is her mother.


Pearl written and illustrated by Molly Idle is one of those books which wrap around you in pure eloquence.  Through the adept blend of words and images we feel a deep connection to Pearl.  This makes us gasp at the conclusion.  I am sure this story will invite conversations about size and purpose.  In pairing this book with Grace Lin's A Big Mooncake for Little Star you can begin a discussion about origin tales.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Molly Idle and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Molly maintains accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Her Instagram account is loaded with artwork and sketches from this book.  The cover reveal for this book is at A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal, hosted by Elizabeth Bird.  You will find the interview interesting.  Molly Idle visits Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson.  She talks about this book and her artistic process.  It's a fabulous post.  There is a video book chat with Molly at the publisher's website.

Seeking Self

You see them coming into your classrooms year after year; testing the waters, doing what they enjoy the most and wondering if anyone will notice their best efforts.  You use your skills to help them discover and enhance their own. Knowing who they truly are, what their purpose might be or where their talents lie can be a pursuit needing perseverance and patience.

It can be somewhat unsettling to find yourself one among many whose gifts are already shining like stars in a moonless sky.  The Mermaid and the Shoe (Kids Can Press) written and illustrated by K. G. Campbell takes us down into the depths of an undersea kingdom.  One very small mermaid has a huge thirst for answers and a brave heart to match.

King Neptune had fifty daughters.  Some might call them mermaids.  They were his pride and joy.

Forty-nine of them had savvy; a green thumb, a flair with fish or words spoken in dulcet song.  Minnow did not; no glorious gardens, only frantic fish and when she sang sea creatures cringed.  One thing she did endlessly was ask questions.

A single sister in particular, Calypso, thought Minnow and her inquisitiveness worthless.  This unkindness caused Minnow, without a word, to seek solitude in a particular spot;

where the current was warm and pleasant.

It was here a beautiful thing floats down to her one day.

One sister thought it might be a hat.  Another offered that it might be a jewel box.  And a third, cold Calypso, said it was junk.  Minnow thought otherwise.  Returning to the warm and pleasant current, she had a plan.  She needed answers.

Swimming through and up, all those she encountered could not identify the splendid object she carried.  Remember those questions she was always asking?  One by one solutions were seen except for one.  Now at the surface she started to wonder if Calypso might have been right.

Then another strange being appeared.  As Minnow watched her excitement grew.  She could hardly wait to share her discoveries.  On this day, a storyteller was born.  It was absolutely remarkable.


Using elements found in the best stories from the land of fairy, the fifty princesses, the three sisters (one with a nasty personality), the three questions, mermaids and lots of happily ever after, K. G. Campbell weaves a spell with words.  A pleasing blend of narrative and dialogue envelope readers gently like we are lovely things drifting through enchanted waters.  What sets this apart is Minnow accomplishes her goals alone by believing in herself and using her strengths. Here is a passage from the book.

She had arrived at the edge of the kingdom, where bubbles burst and the above place began.
"What a wondrous world!" gasped Minnow, eyes wide as sand dollars.


 When you open the matching dust jacket and book case of this title, you are immediately struck by the luminosity of K. G. Campbell's sea scenery.  You get a very real sense of being in the warm current with Minnow and the other beings in the watery depths. The rich brilliant red of the shoe is carried over to the spine.

Rendered in watercolor and pencil crayon Campbell chooses to alter his illustration sizes, breathtaking two page spreads and gorgeous oval insets on white, framed in a variety of sea and tiny floral weeds found on land.  Fine lines, subtle shading and a carefully-selected color palette combine to create a stunning ethereal quality.  Everything about the mermaids, especially Minnow, is magically marvelous; their wide eyes, delicate facial features, porcelain skin, golden tails and flowing hair.

One of my favorite illustrations is of Minnow rising to the surface through the seaweed asking the octopus if he knows what the shoe is.  A small orange seahorse is her constant companion. Readers will wish they could be there swimming in the water with her.


When I first held this book after it was handed to me by a clerk in my favorite indie store, she said everyone there had fallen in love with it.  I understand completely.  The Mermaid and the Shoe written and illustrated by K. G. Campbell is a lovely story; a once-upon-a-time tale to be cherished and shared.

Please be sure to follow the link embedded in K. G. Campbell's name to access his official website.  Here is a link to an interview at John Schumacher's blog at Watch. Connect. Read.  Be sure to visit, enjoying the book trailer.  There is another wonderful interview at Idle Illustration by Caldecott Honor winner author illustrator Molly Idle.