If you've never read one of L. Frank Baum's non-Oz books, The Sea Fairies is an excellent volume to start with. Cap'n Bill and Trot, the two main characters, appear in some of the later Oz books but before they joined that series they had two books of their own, this story being the first. (The second is Sky Island.)
This book is a delightful departure from Oz because most of the story takes place under the sea, an impossibility in Oz because Baum's most famous fairy country is surrounded by a desert. Trot and Cap'n Bill befriend the Queen of the Mermaids, and she gives them a tour of her watery kingdom. Along the way they are captured by an evil sea monster and forced to endure challenge after challenge as he attempts to revenge himself for past humiliations. With his gentle touch of humor Baum also addresses such childish concerns like "Why don't mermaids turn wrinkled in the water all the time?" like a child's fingers and toes in the bathtub?
The descriptions of the underwater palaces are beautiful, and vivid, so you can easily visualize everything Trot and Bill see. If that's not enough, John R. Neill's excellent illustrations enhance the book and his mermaids are beautiful, ethereal creatures. It's a pity that this story isn't better known, because it's just as good (and better than some) of the Oz adventures. ( )
Enchanting fantasy by creator of beloved "Oz" stories whisks young readers away on an exciting underwater adventure! They'll meet a school of beguiling mermaids and an aristocratic codfish, attend an elegant banquet, confront an awesome sea monster, and much more. Enhanced by 78 of John R. Neill's original black-and-white illustrations.
(retrieved from Amazon Sat, 05 Jan 2013 16:06:59 -0500)
Trot and her uncle, Cap'n Bill, encounter unusual experiences with mermaids, sea-serpents, and other strange creatures while journeying in the depths of the sea.
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This book is a delightful departure from Oz because most of the story takes place under the sea, an impossibility in Oz because Baum's most famous fairy country is surrounded by a desert. Trot and Cap'n Bill befriend the Queen of the Mermaids, and she gives them a tour of her watery kingdom. Along the way they are captured by an evil sea monster and forced to endure challenge after challenge as he attempts to revenge himself for past humiliations. With his gentle touch of humor Baum also addresses such childish concerns like "Why don't mermaids turn wrinkled in the water all the time?" like a child's fingers and toes in the bathtub?
The descriptions of the underwater palaces are beautiful, and vivid, so you can easily visualize everything Trot and Bill see. If that's not enough, John R. Neill's excellent illustrations enhance the book and his mermaids are beautiful, ethereal creatures. It's a pity that this story isn't better known, because it's just as good (and better than some) of the Oz adventures. (