Vanessa Williams (1) (1963–)

Learned so much about Vanessa, and the unique format of going back and forth between her personal stories, setbacks and triumphs with her mother's perspectives on the same was brilliant.

Light-hearted and packed with energy and love, this is a fun book to use as a sing-a-long or flip through and simply enjoy.

A little girl loves her pet goldfish, Sal, and celebrates every moment. But then, Sal is a special fish. Every time she kisses the little girl, they are transferred to an underwater world full of lovely mermaids. And what fun it is!

The illustrations in these pages are well done and allow the girl, her goldfish and the undersea world to come to life on the paper. Young show more listeners will enjoy the happiness and colors, while they flip through and see all the excitement the girl experiences.

The story itself is simple and holds tons of imagination and good vibes. It's simply an entertaining read, which celebrates the love for a pet and fantasy. The text is fine. Nothing special, but then nothing bad, either. But that's also not the purpose of this book. The book holds a CD (and for those who would rather listen underway, a code for download/streaming fun) with the song, which the book is written for. It's a sing-a-long with pictures and fun, which can accompany the music, be sung to without, or simply enjoyed as it is. The song is quite up-beat and easy for kids to join in on. The text might be complicated at first for younger ones, but it won't take long for them to know every word.

It's a lovely combination, which mixes music, visuals, and reading. So, I'm giving this one a thumbs up and am sure kids will enjoy it. show less

I am a big Ugly Betty fan, so I was curious to read about V. Williams. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I really enjoyed it. I think she is a really admirable person, down-to-earth, hard-working, talented, and a mom to boot. This story shows that's she's also very resilient, having undergone a public scandal that would have sent most people hiding for life. Good for her for reclaiming her life--and you have to like anyone who writes a book with their mom!