Mabel

Starred review from December 23, 2019
“What was weird about Mabel was that she had no mustache at all.” Everyone else in her family does: her father wears an impressive drooping affair, her mother and sisters sport delicate curls, “even her baby brother had a tiny baby mustache.” Mabel tries to avoid attention, hanging “seaweed falsies” awkwardly off her features, and “hiding in holes/ along the ocean floor.” When she meets a new friend with a difference—an octopus named Lucky—things improve. “What can you do with eight legs that you can’t do with seven?” Mabel asks. “Count to eight,” Lucky says. “I can teach you to count to eight!” Mabel says confidently, a seashell covering her snoot. While the fable’s trajectory seems clear from the outset, deft characterization and detailed worldbuilding by Watkins (Most Marshmallows) transcend the formulaic. Coupled with her open-hearted consideration, Mabel’s sideways glances of embarrassment and dismay offer a winning vulnerability. “Nudibranch!” is the bullying cry of Mabel’s peers, and Watkins’s artful renditions of these beautiful sea slugs, undersea corals, and other marine life provide visual fireworks that amplify the story’s compassionate message. Ages 3–5. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

January 1, 2020
A mustacheless mermaid learns to embrace her difference. In this gorgeous ocean setting, Mabel's "dad had a mustache. Her mom had a mustache....Even her baby brother had a tiny baby mustache." Mabel doesn't, and she's horribly embarrassed about it. She tries to disguise her lack with shells or kelp, but when a pufferfish yells "nudibranch!" in her direction, she takes it as an insult and decides to hide in holes under the sand. While hiding she comes across a seven-legged octopus named Lucky, and together the two learn that their missing appendages don't mean they have to miss out on anything. It's a warm story of friendship, with countless rich details in the illustrations: a treasure-strewn ocean floor and fabulously expressive nudibranchs (a kind of sea slug). Watkins' prose style is fun to read aloud, clipped and spare, though there are a few awkward moments of dialogue between mermaid and septopus. Both message and basic plot are well covered in picture books, however, and this one doesn't particularly rise above the rest in delivery. Still, the presence of both mermaids and mustaches may heighten its appeal to a broader audience. A somewhat special book about being special. (Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 20, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Mabel the Mermaid feels self-conscious because she does not have a mustache like the rest of her family members. She attempts disguises but still feels embarrassed. Other sea creatures make fun of Mabel, so she spends her days hiding in holes along the bottom of the sea. One day, she meets an octopus who is also hiding (he has seven legs instead of eight). Mabel thinks he is perfect the way he is, and a friendship quickly develops. The two learn that friendship is not based on appearances and that they are beautiful just the way they are. Their newfound friendship boosts their confidence, and they face the world boldly, together-a strong message of positivity. The full-page illustrations, created with mixed media, are colorful and vibrant, illuminating the beauty of the ocean floor and its inhabitants. VERDICT This is a refreshing story of difference, acceptance, friendship, and self-confidence. A recommended purchase.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Preschool-G Watkins' expertise at generating humor by defying expectations (see Rude Cakes, 2015, or Pete with No Pants, 2017) is again on display in his newest picture book. Mabel is a young mermaid who is mortified by her lack of a mustache. Everyone in her family has one?even her sisters and baby brother?but Mabel's upper lip is unbearably bare. Having grown tired of covering it with seashells and seaweed falsies, not to mention hearing hurtful shouts of Nudibranch! made by passing puffer fish, the mermaid takes to hiding in holes on the ocean floor. But one such hole also contains something with very large eyes. Happily, this turns out to be Lucky, a friendly, seven-armed octopus. Mabel and Lucky resurface together into a world awash in soft seafoam, salmon, and gold tones, where they help one another overcome their insecurities. Watkins anchors his congenial fable in friendship and self-acceptance, the latter delightfully illustrated by Mabel's revelation that being called a nudibranch (i.e., unique) is actually a compliment. A treasure worth discovering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)