March 31, 2023
Hands up who loves mermaids? We do too! When Little Button was really, really little, we used to gaze out to sea and watch for them… bobbing up and down in the surf. Light glinting off their long magical hair, and sparkly tails playfully causing a splash. *They may have been (most definitely were) seals shhhhh!!! ha ha.
But the point is, mermaids have a way of making you feel like anything is possible. Just like this picture book – Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING by Anna Finch. Here’s what we thought.
Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING
written by Anna Finch and illustrated by Wathmi de Zoysa
Synopsis
Mellie the Mermaid is not scared of anything.
She is not scared of whales, eels, or octopi with bright blue rings.
As little Mellie ventures alone to explore the deep dark blue, will her bravado hold on or are there dangers about which she still doesn’t have a clue?
Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING normalizes being scared and demystifies fear for kids. It spreads encouraging messages to children of all ages, boosts their confidence & self-esteem to help them overcome their fears, and helps raise parents empowered little humans.
Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING is a vibrant picture book aimed at 2 to 5 years old’s. It’s set in the ocean and follows Mellie as she explores the deep.
Her mum and dad remind her of the dangers, but brave Mellie isn’t scared of anything.
Until… she comes across something a little bit scary after all!
Luckily, she dashes back home, arriving safely and in one piece. Phew!
Our overall thoughts
Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING is a beautifully illustrated picture book. Visually, it definitely grabs you and draws you into the underwater world. We love the idea of Mellie being over confident and keen to swim off into the deep sea on her own – showing how she wants to be independent and not scared of anything. There’s a lovely moment where she does get scared, and frantically swims back to her mum and dad for safety. This is reminiscent of ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’, where Mellie traces her steps (or should I say… swim) back through the smaller dangers.
With my parent ‘hat’ on, I would have liked to have seen a much stronger sense of what the lesson had been learned, with this woven through the ending of the story. And also, a clearer explanation of what mum meant when she says Mellie can still go deep, as long as she’s safe and comes back. But, overall it is a pretty picture book that little ones are likely to enjoy.
Mellie the Mermaid Is NOT Scared of ANYTHING written by Anna Finch and illustrated by Wathmi de Zoysa is available on Amazons.
Disclosure: This book was viewed via NetGalley for the purposes of this review. All views are our own.
Do you love mermaids too?
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