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.
