The Mermaid and the Shoe

In this delightful picture book, Minnow seems to be the only one of King Neptune's fifty mermaid daughters who has no particular skill or accomplishments. That is, except for her persistence in asking many, many questions. "Why don't crabs have fins?" "Where do bubbles go?" "What lies beyond the kingdom?" But one day, as Minnow is drifting in the ocean all alone, a single red woman's shoe, "the loveliest thing she'd ever seen," floats toward her seemingly from out of nowhere. Never having seen a shoe before, Willow becomes intrigued by what it might be. When no one in the kingdom can tell her, she sets off on a quest to find out and, along the way, uncovers answers to many of the things that have been vexing her, including what her true purpose is!Award-winning author and illustrator K. G. Campbell beautifully captures the watery world of his mermaids with soft blues and grays, long hair rippling in the currents and lots of bubbles. Young readers will chuckle knowingly at Minnow's misinterpretations of the world "at the edge of the kingdom, where bubbles burst and the above place began," as they delight in her discovery of what the shoe is used for. With the feel of a fairy tale, this is a fun and humorous story with a wonderful message appropriate for character education lessons about the value of believing in yourself and the power of perseverance when you are searching for answers to life's most important questions.

Author: K. G. Campbell
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: 04/01/2014
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 11.31h x 9.24w x 0.46d
ISBN: 9781554537716
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.5
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 166541 / Mermaid and the Shoe


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/10/2014
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2014
School Library Journal 04/01/2014 pg. 114
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2014 pg. 74
Kirkus Best Picture Books 11/15/2014 pg. 57
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2014 pg. 24 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Keith Gordon Campbell was educated in an old, turreted school with ghosts and secret passages and stuff. There he learned to love all things ghoulish, ghastly and rather gothic. He wasn't one for chasing after balls or playing leapfrog; he preferred, even then, to find quiet corners where he could write peculiar stories and illustrate them with funny characters. Keith is now a full-time author/illustrator and lives in California.

Keith Gordon Campbell was educated in an old, turreted school with ghosts and secret passages and stuff. There he learned to love all things ghoulish, ghastly and rather gothic. He wasn't one for chasing after balls or playing leapfrog; he preferred, even then, to find quiet corners where he could write peculiar stories and illustrate them with funny characters. Keith is now a full-time author/illustrator and lives in California.