| 9780316440318 |
| 0316440310 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Children's Book | PINK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... High Prairie Library | Children's Book | PINK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Library 21c | Children's Book | PINK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Monument Library | Children's Book | PINK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Sand Creek Library | Children's Book | PINK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
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 ."
Author Notes
Jerry Pinkney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 22, 1939. He began drawing as a four-year-old child, studied commercial art at the Dobbins Vocational School, and received a full scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. After graduating, Pinkney worked in design and illustrations, helped found Kaleidoscope Studios, and later opened the Jerry Pinkney Studio.
His is a children's book illustrator and has created the art for over one hundred titles including Julius Lester's John Henry, Sam and the Tigers, and The Old African, plus adaptations of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl and The Nightingale. He has won numerous awards including six Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards, four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, four New York Times Best Illustrated Book awards, and the Hamilton King Award. He also received the Virginia Hamilton Literary award from Kent State University in 2000, the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion in 2004, the Original Art's Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators in 2006, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2016, and the Coretta Scott King -Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2016.
In addition to holding numerous one-man retrospectives and exhibiting his work in more than one hundred international group shows, Pinkney's art resides in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Delaware Art Museum, and the Brandywine River Art Museum. He has taught art at the Pratt Institute, the University of Delaware, and the University of Buffalo.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
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, MI
Publisher's Weekly Review
Caldecott Medalist Pinkney's (A Place to Land) recasting of Andersen's fairy tale affirms girls' voices and power while offering dazzling undersea magic. Melody, the Sea King's youngest daughter, spends her time sifting through shipwrecks until a forbidden trip to the ocean's surface offers her a glimpse of Zion, a human girl she yearns to meet. A bargain struck with the terrifying Sea Witch gives Melody a human body in exchange for her voice, and she spends an idyllic day outside a sunbleached village with Zion, who is curious, patient, and accepting of Melody's differences. Just as Melody appreciates shipwrecks, Zion investigates insects, and before Melody departs, Zion presents her with a chrysalis--a metaphor for Melody's transformation. "It is growing wings, and very soon it will fly over land and sea." The dynamic energy of the ocean currents, portraits of characters of color and entities both real and imagined, and a final battle with the Sea Witch give the undersea spreads breathtaking drama and sumptuousness, while the message (in Zion's words, "you should have never given up your voice... for anything") conveys the importance of summoning one's own power and finding friends who do the same. Ages 4--8. Agent: Sheldon Fogelman, Sheldon Fogelman Agency. (Nov.)
Booklist Review
In this revised and slightly abridged version of Andersen's beloved story, Caldecott Medalist Pinkney has made some relevant changes for today's children. When Melody's father, the Sea King, warns her against leaving her elaborate undersea coral castle, her desire for adventure and exploration inspires her to swim to the ocean's shoreline where she meets Zion, a brown-skinned human girl who embraces her as a friend and soul mate. But Melody has sacrificed her voice to the evil Sea Witch in exchange for legs. When this bargain threatens not only Melody's family but the people living on land, Melody courageously returns to save both worlds, destroying the frightening red-tentacled monster. Triumphant, she finds her "true voice--a voice that no Witch could imprison or silence." Pinkney's artwork, done in pencil and watercolor, swirls with curvilinear images on every full-bleed page. The blues and greens of the underwater realm teem with sumptuous ocean life--schools of fish, foamy bubbles, seaweed, and the flotsam and jetsam of former civilizations. The Sea King's garments are encrusted with jewels and treasures of the sea; his gold trident sparkles; the mermaids' pearly necklaces complement their shimmering green tails. On land, golden hues wrap the shore and silvery seabirds drop and wheel overhead. Pinkney has created a virtuosic alternative that celebrates the acceptance of differences and adds transformative girl power to Andersen's complex and disturbing original.
