So many children’s books address the theme of feeling like one doesn’t fit in and having the courage to be oneself, and that is fitting, as it’s a struggle we all face at one time or another. This one has the added benefit of addressing this common theme through the experiences of a group often underrepresented in our libraries. It tells of a girl who is so excited to be heading to the pool with her mom in her new burkini, feeling like “a dainty seahorse, or a splendid pineapplefish,” ready to enjoy a day as a mermaid girl. Her joy vanishes when other swimmers point out that her swimsuit doesn’t look like a “real” swimsuit, and question whether she’ll even be able to swim in it. Her mother reminds her of the brave mermaid girls who have come before her and the many more that will come later, and that to stand out is to be full of the things that make you you. With a boost of courage, she joins in and her friends see that she can do all the things they can do, until they want to be mermaid girls, too (even Sam).
Author Archives: Courtney Morgan
A Little Ferry Tale
The illustrations are sweet in a slightly vintage sort of way that suits the story where the main character is a ferry. This little ferry finds herself jealous of the other boats at which her passengers marvel: the rough and fearless tugboat, the speedy speedboat, and the carefree and graceful sailboat. She knew her strengths (being patient and quiet and careful), but no one ever cheers for those things, so she decides to try to be more like the boats she envies. She’s sad when her attempts don’t prove successful, but in the end, she find her strengths allow her to succeed where her flashier friends fail. When fire on a nearby island threaten the animals, quiet and patient and careful are just the things that are needed
Swim, Jim!
When three young crocodiles are born, Jim is afraid to swim, but is determined to learn. Deciding that his own swamp is too dark and deep, he goes in search of a smaller swamp. Stumbling upon a kiddie pool and floaties he finds his courage, until his claw pops his floatie, but by then his sisters have joined him and point out that the pool is shallow enough to stand in. After some lessons from his sisters, he’s ready to return to the family swamp and join in the family fun. The illustrations are inviting, and the fear of learning to swim is certainly something a lot of kids can relate to.
Dress-Up Day
It’s a sweet story of a young girl who is all excited, anticipating a school costume party, but after helping her mom make a fabulous bunny costume, she is disappointed to wake up ill on the day of the party and has to miss the party. When she’s feeling better the next day, mom suggests she where her rabbit costume that day instead, and her joy is restored. Until she gets to school and the other kids stare and laugh, and she begins to doubt. Joy is restored once again when another classmate who was ill the day before also turns up in his costume, and by the end of the day he has become her best friend. The next day all the kids show up in costumes, convincing our protagonist that she’d had a great idea all along. The illustrations are charming, and the dilemma, as well as its solution are very relatable for young children: the difficulty of being all alone, and the power of a single friend to turn things around.
Hang in There!
In rhyming verse it asks the reader if they’ve ever had a day when nothing seems to go their way. It suggests a list of terrible disappointments that are both relatable and absurd: a walrus at the sink when you need a drink, scrambled worms being served for breakfast, your coat getting eaten by a goat right when it’s time to go, and so forth. It chronicles a really miserable day, illustrated with a young cat having to deal with all sorts of other animals in a difficult day at school, finally giving up and going home, only to be confronted by a yak sitting on its toys. Just when the culmination of the day’s events are about to push the kitty round the bend, a yak fart turns cries to laughter. The book ends with an admonishment never to give up hope, but to find the humor and face a bad day together with your friends. It’s fine, but I find the color scheme of the illustrations a bit jarring. I think there are better books that address the same theme without resorting to fart humor.
Teo’s Tutu
I like it. It celebrates being yourself, while recognizing that it’s not always easy to do so. It tells of a young boy who loves to dance. He’s excited and nervous on his first day of ballet lessons, knowing it will be different than the cumbia or bhangra dances he enjoys at home with his family, but inspired by memories of seeing a Swan Lake performance. When another boy in the class asks why he’s wearing a tutu, he simply answers, “Because it’s pretty.” I like that the story shows both boys and girls in the ballet class. I like that the parents and dance teacher never once make any kind of issue about Teo’s tutu, but are only ever positively encouraging Teo to enjoy himself, and yet when it comes time for Teo to choose a costume for the big performance, it only takes feeling the eyes of the other students on him to make him feel pressured to choose the shirt and pants. Even when peer pressure is subtle it can be powerful. In the end, Teo chooses the costume in which he feels most comfortable and thoroughly enjoys a successful performance before his biggest fans.
Forty Winks: a bedtime adventure
The rhyming verse and adorable yet silly illustrations celebrate the nightly childhood rituals of bedtime, by seeing them through the lense of a family of mice. When there are 38 little ones to be settled, the feeding and bathing and brushing and dressing and reading and drinks take a while. The rhymes are fun and the illustrations are full of personality, and the topic is so familiar. I can see kids wanting to read it again and again.
Poopsie Gets Lost
I really like this one, and can see it being great as an interactive read-aloud. The illustrations a fun and full of personality, and the text is written as an interaction between the narrator, who is giving some very bad advice, and the main character, Poopsie, an adorable and pampered house cat living a rather sedate life. That is until our narrater dares her to venture out into the world, where she tangles with snakes and crocodiles and tigers. When put to the challenge, Poopsie shows she’s got some real spunk, but in the end chooses to return to her to the safety and simplicity of home, turning her back on the pushy narrator who got her into that mess.
Tortoise and Hare: a fairy tale to help you find balance
It’s a new spin on an old folktale, with a new message. Instead of “slow and steady wins the race,” the moral of this one is that “sometimes it’s good to be fast and sometimes it’s good to be slow, but mostly it’s good to have a friend to help you find the balance.” It gives us a bit more pre-race background on our main characters, showing how their usual ways of going about things creates problems for both. During the race, when Hare stops for a nap, Tortoise catches up, but instead of continuing on, the two spend some time star-gazing together and then finish the race together, with Tortoise riding piggy back, getting a chance to experience the joy of speed, and the two become fast friends who help each other find balance when they need it. It’s a bit long, and some may find it preachy, but I liked it.
Clementine and the Lion
It’s okay. It’s a version of the classic “kid thinks parents are ogres and would rather live without grown-up interference” trope. In this case mom got snatched by dragons and dad is lost at sea in a bottle. When an aunt shows up and tries to take over, Clementine invents an invisible paint to hide the house and get rid of the aunt. When she accidentally leaves the door open one day she ends up with a lion as a houseguest and must find a way to make peace with it and carry on in case her parents come back some day. On the one hand, a lot of kids can relate to the living-without-adults fantasy, on the other hand, it seems a bit disjointed.