The Mermaids of Jamaica

In this addition to the Against All Odds series, Bellante centers in on Port Antonio, Jamaica, to create a brief portrait of a group of real-life girls, aged seven to 18, who make up the island nation’s only synchronized swim team. Described as “normal girls who study and eat ice cream,” they’re also “capable of something rare and wonderful: spinning around in the water like butterflies in the sky.” As they prepare for two months of training in China, they receive coaching from Russian Gold Medalist Olga, and they take care of each other, sharing hopes and dreams. Unadorned, documentary-style prose relates sacrifices made by the swimmers and their families in the face of economic pressures and family separation, describing how, “for the mermaids of Port Antonio, synchronized swimming is a magical antidote to all this.” Herikita’s saturated, folk-style art twines images rooted in the island’s natural environment with imagery reflective of the girls’ interests and the coach’s background. An author’s note concludes. Ages 5–8. (Apr.)