Mermaid and Pirate

In Baptiste’s sweet tale of oceanic connection, a mermaid and a pirate, each portrayed with brown skin, exult in storms. “She liked to roll with the waves and dance to the beat of the rain on the sea.... He liked how the wind whipped the water and snapped the ropes.” When lightning breaks the mast of the pirate’s ship, and both beings move to secure it, the mermaid becomes tangled in the pirate’s net. Though their attempts at communication reveal a language barrier (the pirate hears “Gloop” when the mermaid says “Thank you”; the mermaid hears “Aarrgh” when the pirate says “You’re welcome”), they become friends, together engaging in undersea adventures. After a separation, the two even meet again later, swimming together toward the horizon. Using paneled spreads and dual perspectives, Adams’s animation-style art is an ideal match for Baptiste’s lighthearted story, which illustrates how being different need be no impediment to bonding. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)