Charlotte Watson Sherman

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but by the end I was won over by sweet (and fierce) Kenzie and her mom. The illustrations are beautiful, and a message about keeping the oceans clean is always needed. Notably, the text is written in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), which feels true to the characters. A lovely book.

I love that this book celebrates what young readers can do to clean up the ocean - even if they don't live near it. Nice to see a black girl central to a science-based picture book who also leads other children in an ocean clean up.

The story introduces the reader to the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean and also gives hope to young readers that the problem can be addressed. The text has great rhythm and the bright illustrations transport the reader to the beach and under the water.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a poetry book to shed light on what brown skin is instead of what it is not.

This book has a great message, but it is long. Way too long. Kenzie likes to be a mermaid. She likes to spend her day at the beach but sometimes her explorations are meet with garbage. This garbage she will help clean.