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Summary
Summary
In Geraldo Valério's newest vibrant and beautiful wordless picture book, a trip to the beach turns into a magical journey under the sea--exploring themes of friendship and the power of imagination.
When a girl and a frog go to the beach to fish, they are frustrated to find that the fish aren't biting. Instead, they stare into the water and make faces at their reflections. Then, something spectacular happens. The reflections take on lives of their own, transforming into a mermaid with her own pet frog. Surprise gives way to delight as they invite the girl and the frog to enter a stunning underwater world. The new friends swim and play amongst colorful sea creatures until they discover a pair of glowing pearls and turn them into matching necklaces.
Readers are brought along on a joyful aquatic adventure in this third wordless picture book from Geraldo Valério. Each page is a visual treasure trove full of fish and bubbles and other underwater details. Young readers will especially enjoy following the frogs' adventures in this celebration of friendship and imagination.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Author Notes
Geraldo Valério was born in Brazil, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, followed by a Master of Arts at New York University. His many highly acclaimed books include My Book of Birds (described in Booklist as "striking and beautiful"); At the Pond (two starred reviews); Friends (one starred review); Blue Rider (two starred reviews); Turn On the Night (three starred reviews) and The Egg (two starred reviews). His work has been published in many countries, including Canada, the US, Brazil, Portugal, France, the UK and China. Geraldo lives in Toronto.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
A girl is fishing in the ocean with her frog buddy when they spot their reflections in the water. They make faces at their reflections, which mimic their every move--until their likenesses transform into a mermaid and her own frog. Soon all four are enjoying an underwater splash together. Although that's all there is story-wise to this wordless book, the summery, swirling art is divine. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In Blue Rider (2016), Valrio employed explosive colors and forms to illustrate, sans text, the magic of reading; here the Brazilian-Canadian's wordless narrative depicts two friendships that blossom at the edge of the sea.In the opening, a girl with flaming curls and a large, mustard-colored face dips her toes into the water, tackle box in hand. As a fish explores her submerged fingertip (and another, those of her companion, a frog), she imagines one on her line. It retreats when the hook is lowered. Her frown is reflected in the water, and she subsequently experiments with expressions, as does her green friend. The fish return, and as her demeanor becomes more pleasant, the mirror image morphs into a mermaid. The cool, blue figures contrast with the sunny shoreline palette until girl and amphibian are guided into the water and the sand recedes completely. Subtle changes to the pastel, colored pencil, and acrylic compositions begin as the friendship solidifies: The mermaid's hair fills with yellow stars and sea horses while the child's somewhat subdued hair becomes flecked with blue. The foursome flips and floats, surrounded by other sea creatures. As the girls make pearl necklaces, the frogs play with bubbles. In a satisfying conclusion, no one is called home; the characters simply drift off the page in slumber, leaving readers to imagine what occurs next.Gentle humor and a sense of wonder pervade this joyful aquatic fantasy. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Valério's quirky wordless picture book reveals a surprising, eventful day at the beach for a young red-headed girl and her pet frog. The child and her tiny green companion take their poles and prepare for a day of fishing. Though several fish approached them when they first arrived, the fish disappear as soon as their hooks enter the water. The seawater begins to roil, then becomes so clear that the tall, thin girl and her round frog are able to observe their mirror images on its surface. Amazingly, the frog's image takes on a different shape and the girl's soon changes into a mermaid. The two on land are welcomed into an undersea world where the girl, her mermaid friend, and the two frogs frolic together in the deep. Illustrations in acrylic paint, pastel, and colored pencils depict a hot, yellow-sand beach that contrasts sharply with the blues, greens, and teals of the cool water of the ocean. This unexpected adventure will have readers imagining the escapades they could have.--Maryann Owen Copyright 2019 Booklist
