Congratulations to the author and illustrator for this amazing project. The size of the book is awesome, and I love the illustrations so much that I want to frame each double page as a painting. There's a lot to explore on each page and my favorite is the ocean free of garbage with all the creatures living in harmony. What a beautiful story that reminds us that we are one with nature, and we should protect it. We need to save the ocean from the trash that we let reach the deep waters, hurting so many species that are part of our ecosystem. This book is also a wonderful reminder of traditions and to keep the heritage of our ancestors alive in our hearts.
Thank you, publisher and Netgalley for the e-Arc.

I received and ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great idea to give the ocean a name, face, form, thoughts, and emotions. Another great idea? Having Maya transform Zandi into a mermaid. That is going to do the trick of getting the attention of the young, female sector. The art in this book perfectly compliments the story with it's bright, rich colors. I have a love of ocean life that I have nursed since High School Oceanology. I've always tried to share that love with my kids. This book is going to give me a great new opportunity to teach them how our behavior impacts generations of ocean life.

Zandi's song was unbelievably adorable. It gave a wonderful message of ocean/ marine life as well as human involvement with the oceans over time. Zandi learns about the ocean from the ocean herself granting Zandi a gift to experience marine life as a mermaid. Zandi carries what she learns home and the ending promotes a sense of hope that she will pass on the knowledge she gained with those on land.

This is the perfect book for any child who has a love for the ocean or beach. This story helps to teach children about the importance of taking care of our planet so that the animals that live in our oceans and water systems are able to continue to grow and thrive. I think that this is also a great book to show representation of a different culture. I as an adult also loved reading about the authors story and why she became a diving instructor.

ARC reader for NetGalley

Zandi is drawn to the ocean and as she steps foot in the water the ocean gives her a great gift. She’s transformed into a beautiful mermaid and is shown around the ocean learning all the ways humans have caused harm. It’s now her mission to return to the land and teach the world how not to harm the ocean. Beautiful illustrations and a lovely story.

This was such a fun read! The mermaids are great and you learn a little something too! My daughter really enjoyed reading it! I hope others give it a read too!

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, but the story itself is just fine. It packs a lot of information into just a few pages causing it to feel disjointed at times. It's a pretty book with a nice message, but it's unfortunately nothing special.

This is a beautiful story with powerful meaning. It was emotionally moving and educational. I’m excited for children to have the chance to read and love this book!

A great mermaid story with an Earth inspiring message- treat it better! Had some Moana vibes but also Little Mermaid mixed in so many princess lovers may enjoy this story too!

Amazing book , drawing and message behind the book. Loved seeing the authors note

Thanks for the arc

This book based on author’s experience on ocean.

One fine day, she could hear the the whisperin from the ocean that said her placed was there, it was her home, when she thought about ocean. She was scared because she cant swim really well. The ocean spirit named Maya was bring Zandi to explore the ocean.

To know more about this interesting story, you should read this book. Its worth for it.

I loved this book! As a child I loved mermaids and always wanted to be one so this resonated with me. I also loved the message of being one with everything and taking care of the rivers, streams, and oceans. This was a fun story that children will both enjoy and learn from. And those illustrations were amazing!

The illustrations of this book really shine! Luminous, brilliant colours, and their occasional meaningful absence bring this story to life. While the text has lovely moments and delivers some important messages and folklore, it does occasionally feel a little disjointed. A smoother, clearer transition from home to the sea would be an improvement for comprehension.

Zandi is fascinated by the ocean but too afraid to explore it at first. This is a sweet picture book that teaches children the importance of respecting the ocean and keeping it clean. Young Zandi observes how the people have lived in harmony with the creatures of the ocean. This book has beautiful illustrations and hopefully it inspires some young readers interest in ocean conservation.

Growing up mermaids were always one of my favorite things. They were so integral to some of my earliest experiences with friends and family and just sparked my imagination. From playing mermaids in the pool with my best friend to watching H2O with my sister, there was always something so enchanting about them. Heck, even to this day I still think about how awesome it would be to get one of those gorgeous silicone mermaid tails and swim around in it even though I live in an incredibly landlocked part of the country. But just the thought of being able to have one of those tails and swim around on a Beach, preferably in PR where my family is from, just brings so much joy to my soul. So with all that said, the fact that in today's bookish market there is such a strong push to bring this joy of mermaids to little kids of all races is just so heartwarming. This cover really drew me into this book and made me so excited to pick it up.

And upon first opening this book we are presented with an incredible author's note. I love when you read these and you can really feel the passion the author has for the subject matter they are writing about and the community they are writing it for. We are then met with just absolutely gorgeous art. It captures the magic of the ocean so well that most of us experienced as kids. Looking at some of these pages I can feel that warm ocean water, smell that salty air, I am at the beach.

And then we get to the story which is fantastic. It has this powerful message about how we are all a part of this earth and in order to help it maintain its natural beauty we all have to do our part and encourage others to do the same. I don’t know how I ended up reading two back-to-back stories about environmentalism but it is a message I fully support and encourage adults to be sharing with children. The art also does a great job of conveying this, it goes from these beautifully vibrant shots of the ocean all clean and full of life to these dingier more muted shots where there is trash and sad sea creatures. The later half of the story then delves into the importance of learning about how people used to coexist so peacefully and in tune with nature for a time before it was disrupted by people who were greedy and didn’t care about the creatures of the sea. It can be a tough message for young readers and older readers alike to hear but it is one of the most important aspects of realizing how we got here and what we want to see achieved by being kinder to the planet and the ocean.

This book has an overall very empowering message about nature and what we can do to protect it. It is not as action oriented as the previous book I read today, Dino Earth Day, but its message rings true for a slightly older crowd of children. It's all about our attitude and developing a love for the earth and the ocean. A love so strong and a connection so deep that we are compelled to share it with our community and encourage them to help protect the earth.

A dreamlike book about one girl who learns about the history of our ocean and how to keep it clean.
I did like the illustrations. The colors are very much every little girls favorites.
I had a moment when I read that the water wouldn’t hurt the little girl even though she can’t swim where I went “nope”. As a mom of a kid who can’t swim that definitely gave me pause. My worst nightmare would be that they think the water doesn’t mean to hurt them and eventually drown. So I would caution readers with kids who can’t swim to either avoid this one or have a serious talk before and after about why we use water safety especially in the ocean.
Otherwise a nice fiction story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was so beautiful. I loved the story (and even felt a few tears toward the end). I think this is a beautiful story for young children, and even adults.

I highly recommend this story to anyone and everyone! Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I know a lot of little girls who would love this book! Mermaids are so in right now and girls love seeing someone who looks like them in a book and representing a mermaid! The illustrations are beautiful, reminds me of pixar! And the magical element will be a hit! This book reads like a movie! And the message about taking care of the earth and oceans is perfect!

The authors forward in this childrens book was so inspiring!

This book is so mystical and colourful. Any child would ask for this book just based on the illustration alone.

Deep Moana vibes as the sea calls to Zandi and a water woman rises from the ocean and tells her not to be afraid.

I loved that the author then did her hair in braids and the girl instantly felt connected to the other women in her family.

This book was important because its not your average pretty, girl becomes a mermaid story. The ocean shows her the trash and debris and explains that she needs her help by showing her that they used to live in balance with the ocean, but the waters and whales are now in danger.

Ancestral ties and conservation themes made this an adorable but important read for kids.

Not everyone reads the introduction, but this one is inspiring and not to be missed. The author is a black South African who did not grow up next to the sea but became the first female free dive instructor and started The Black Mermaid Foundation to help other young people experience and learn about the ocean.
This story reflects her love for the ocean and how we need to take better care of it. One young girl learns that she is next in her generation to be a protector, but we all need to be protectors.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this