Mermaid Kenzie is a book about a little girl who learns the importance of the simple task of cleaning up through ocean exploration with her mother. There were some very beautiful illustrations but the book fell a bit short for me with how it was written (the grammar kills me, which I know it was intentionally written that way) and it took me a while to understand what was going on and the message, so I’m sure it would take a young reader an even longer time to understand the theme. I so wanted to love this book since we are big mermaid story lovers here and the concept has such great potential!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. The graphics in this book are beautiful. I almost wish there were no words, as the language that is used-I was uncomfortable reading it. I believe that this is written for a very specific audience. Again, the graphics and the what the book is trying to get across are fantastic concepts. I just had issues with the vernacular language. I am probably in the minority but that's okay. 3 stars

Very cute children's book. It starts in conversation like a typical picture book and then switches to verse when "the little mermaid" finally gets to go to the beach. Lovely illustrations and cute message about being who you are and cleaning up the beach!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Things I loved-
The artwork. It's rich and just realistic enough and simply gorgeous.
The message. I grew up in the 80's and 90's when the movement to save our animals from plastic soda rings really gained momentum.
That Kenzie is a mermaid. There is no better way to get the attention of little girls across the globe than to throw in a mermaid.
That Kenzie acts on her feelings and does what she can to make a difference.

Things I struggled with-
The vernacular that's used is appropriate and seems to actually fit with the story, but to my midwestern mouth and ears it's a stumbling block.

Mermaid Kenzie had beautiful artwork, but the book was a bit confusing and didn't hold my 3.5yr old's attention very well. As an adult, I couldn't tell if it was written in verse, conversation or as a storybook. Perhaps it just didn't flow well on my Oasis, making it more difficult to follow. The overall story is nice, bringing awareness to littering and the toll that it's taking on the oceans.

I loved the rhyming in this book and the flow of the story. The illustrations were beautiful. I did really like the fact that along with being a mermaid it stresses the fact that we need to clean up our beaches and keep it beautiful. This book was very well done and McKenzie is beautiful!