The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids

April 15, 2012
This second Tiptoe Guide (The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies, 2010) has readers scouring the seashore for mermaids and imagining what their lives must be like. Not a story, but not a guidebook in the traditional sense either, this is more of a fits-and-starts foray into imagination that may leave many of its readers behind. Listen to a conch shell's secrets, search a tidal pool for evidence of baby mermaids, imagine shells as mermaid jewelry, sand dollars as money and ocean plants as food, with crabs scrounging the leftovers. But the author goes beyond readers' reach, as the mermaids play with dolphins, swim amid the coral and carry out their daily activities (primping, napping, shopping) on the ocean floor. While Paquette's first capitalized on the popularity of fairy houses and the easy accessibility of most to the great outdoors, this latest narrows its readership by focusing on the ocean. It further disappoints this limited audience by highlighting beachcombing finds that are relatively rare, if not geographically impossible: perfect sand dollars and conch shells, ocean plants, tide pools--not to mention the warm-enough-for-a-bathing-suit but nonetheless deserted, beach. Letourneau layers her fanciful watercolor mermaids atop beautiful photographs, which gives a jarring feel to the artwork. Further, when the text asks readers, "Can you see any mermaids anywhere?" she makes no effort at hiding them. The glittery cover and promise of mermaids may attract readers initially, but there is little here to lure them for repeated readings. (Picture book. 4-7)

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July 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-This book is similar to Paquette's The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies (Tanglewood, 2009). Now on a mermaid hunt, the children look from tidal pool to open beach and everywhere in between. They wonder what sea dollars will buy at the mermaid market, and imagine the fabled creatures cavorting with crabs, dolphins, and seahorses. The frolicking mermaids are, of course, all around, but are unseen by the children until a message in a bottle leads them to the mermaids' hiding place. Readers will no doubt delight in being able to see the clearly visible mermaids when the characters cannot. Letourneau's illustrations follow in Christa Unzner's footsteps in "Fairies" (Minedition). Beach and underwater scenes are photographs superimposed with cartoon images of fabulous mermaids. Periodically readers see the children, whose outfits and appearance change throughout. The artwork is a welcome relief to Paquette's bland text, which is sprinkled with words in different colors and fonts, leading to the false belief that there might be a glossary. Purchase where Paquette's previous picture book has done well or where mermaid stories are a must-have.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

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