Description
Product Description
In this captivating reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's classic, Caldecott medalist and bestselling artist Jerry Pinkney conjures a poignant friendship story and an epic tale of redemption -- the definitive new version for our time.
Melody, the littlest sea princess, is not content just to sing in the choir of mermaids like her sisters. She is an explorer who wonders about what lies above the water's surface . . . especially the young girl she has spied from a distance. To meet her requires a terrible sacrifice: she trades her beautiful voice for a potion that gives her legs, so that she may live on land instead. It seems like a dream come true at first. But when trouble stirs beneath the ocean, Melody faces another impossible choice -- stay with her friend, or reclaim her true identity and save her family.
Legendary artist Jerry Pinkney's singular reinvention of this tale about love and sacrifice empowers young, twenty-first century girls with the strong message that "you should never give up your voice . . . for
anyone."
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-In this modern adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's, "The Little Mermaid," Pinkney uses his signature pencil and watercolor technique, coupled with inspiration from African mythologies of water spirits, to depict an empowering reimagining of this beloved tale. Readers are plunged far below the sea to a simultaneously dark and luminous watery world, lush with plants and lurking sea creatures. Melody is the youngest of the Sea King's four daughters and the family is depicted as merfolk of color. She yearns for exploration beyond the sea and to befriend the girl she spies on the distant, unfamiliar shore. Eliminated is the traditional plot line of the mermaid desiring the love of a prince, making this adaptation not only approachable for young readers, but a celebration of a strong, independent girl. However, in line with the classic plot trajectory, Melody sacrifices her most precious gift, her voice, to the evil Sea Witch in exchange for legs to experience the world beyond the sea. Ashore, Melody befriends the girl she saw from afar, Zion, also a girl of color similar in age to Melody, who tells her "you should have never given up your voice . . . for anything." After the leisurely climb to Melody's journey ashore and pivotal realization that her voice is a powerful gift, the inevitable good versus evil battle that erupts between the Sea Witch and the Sea King, calling Melody back to the sea, may feel somewhat rushed to conclusion. VERDICT An essential and empowering adaptation, for all ages, and every collection.-Emily Brush, Novi Public Library, MIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
Best Children's Books of 2020
"Pinkney creates a vivid watercolor world in which all the characters, human and mermaids alike, are Black. This visual dynamic is particularly effective in illustrating the affinity between Melody and Zion, two fundamentally different beings."―
New York Times
"An essential and empowering adaptation, for all ages, and every collection."―
School Library Journal, starred review
"...Affirms girls' voices and power while offering dazzling undersea magic."―
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Pinkney has created a virtuosic alternative that celebrates the acceptance of differences and adds transformative girl-power to Andersen's complex and disturbing original."―
Booklist, starred review
"His watercolor illustrations retain their signature delicacy and seem especially suited for a tale that partially takes place underwater... I'm almost envious of the young readers who'll get to grow up with
this
Little Mermaid as
their Little Mermaid."―
BookPage, starred review
"As always, Jerry Pinkney's pencil and watercolor illustrations are exquisite: delicate yet powerful and full of detail and action...[the] colors are almost luminesc