Review by New York Times Review
IN THESE FRAUGHT times to be female, two well-timed new books feature young women who are shoved into boxes by adults, well-meaning and otherwise. You'd better believe they're not going to stay there. In "Princess Cora and the Crocodile," the titular princess is at her wit's end. Rather mature-looking for 7, she's an only child and heir to the throne. Her existence is micromanaged down to the last minute (perhaps some kids can relate). Her doting parents want her to be prepared for the responsibilities ahead, so she spends hours studying with her mother, takes three baths a day with her nanny and exercises with her father. She might cope if only they would let her have a dog, but no. The shedding! She entreats her fairy godmother for help. Maybe she should've been more specific, because help arrives in the form of a crocodile, delivered in a box with air holes. The crocodile takes Cora's place in exchange for cream puffs. He keeps his promise not to eat anyone but wreaks havoc, which we see juxtaposed with Cora's sweet day of climbing trees and stepping in cow pies. The Newbery medalist (for "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!") Laura Amy Schlitz's witty writing matches perfectly with the energetic watercolors by Brian Floca, who won the Caldecott Medal for "Locomotive." I dare you not to laugh at the pink-frocked reptile desperately trying to jump rope. In the end the adults are suitably chastened and Cora asserts herself to find a compromise - just two baths a day. And about that dog.... Donna Jo Napoli and David Wiesner's graphic novel "Fish Girl" is a darker, stranger story. There are no doting parents. Fish Girl is kept in her boardwalk aquarium home by a sinister man calling himself the god Neptune. He claims to have rescued her from fishermen. If she's seen, he says, scientists will take her and cut her open. So she teases audiences with glimpses, in exchange for Neptune's stories of where she came from. Nameless and mute, she is resigned to her life, until she's spotted by a girl her age. They become friends, and through their secret sisterhood Fish Girl acquires what Neptune desperately didn't want her to have: a name, a voice and the courage to uncover the truth behind her stifling home. In a powerful climax she stands (yes, stands) over the false god and takes her place on his throne. The surreal and sometimes unsettling story is grounded by the three-time Caldecott medalist Wiesner's soft, realistic artwork, and Napoli's spare text transports us inside Fish Girl's head as she pieces things together. This is not a funny book. Fish Girl is in a dangerous situation, and the idea of a grown man keeping a child in a tank is not pleasant. But that makes her determination and bravery to become what she wants to be all the more powerful, and in the end Mother Nature puts things right (though there is no jail time for Neptune, unfortunately). Do not hesitate to give these books to boys as well as girls - in fact, I would encourage it. Each of these girls found a way to live on her own terms. You can even imagine them as friends, meeting in their lovely watercolor worlds. VERA BROSGOL is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel "Anya's Ghost" and the picture book "Leave Me Alone!"
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 1, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Fish Girl lives in an aquarium, where visitors come to hear Neptune tell tales of the sea and to search for the elusive girl hiding in the tanks. When a human girl, Livia, sees Fish Girl, the two strike up a friendship that will bring secrets to light and put an end to Fish Girl's solitude. Wiesner and Napoli, two longtime, well-respected children's book creators, have turned their focus to graphic novels, and the result is simply beautiful. Napoli tells the story from Fish Girl's perspective, and she is a smart, determined character, despite her restrictive upbringing. She and Livia appear to be about 12 and have the combination of impending maturity and childishness that is unique to tweens. Their friendship is strong and believable, creating a solid foundation for a tale that eschews The Little Mermaid's reliance on romance as an agent of change. Caldecott-winner Wiener keeps all of the subtlety and quirkiness of his picture books and adds the clear panel layouts and the skillful narrative flow of a well-executed graphic novel. His luminous colors give the perfect touch of magic to this graceful, gentle story that will strike a chord with fans of such Studio Ghibli movies as Ponyo.--Wildsmith, Snow Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Wiesner and Napoli's unsettling tale of self-discovery, a young mermaid who stars in a boardwalk aquarium show begins to question her circumstances after a human girl offers her friendship. Though she can't talk and has never been outside, Mira-as her new friend Livia christens her-slowly realizes that the show's domineering owner, Neptune, may not be as benevolent or godlike as he seems. "The scientists will take you to a lab," he threatens, warning her against being seen. "They'll cut you open." With Livia's encouragement, help from her fellow sea creatures, and her own extra-human powers, Mira delivers herself from her captor. Napoli (Dark Shimmer) and Wiesner (Mr. Wuffles!) create a plot that crackles, and Wiesner's graceful, classically proportioned artwork makes the story's fantastical elements clear and believable. But Neptune's catalog of classic psychological abuse seems to belong to an edgier tale. Livia's goofy presence counterbalances the menace ("This is a cheese and lettuce sandwich," she explains to Mira, holding up a drawing), and Mira's sidekick-a huge, brooding octopus-offers her the love that Neptune withholds. Ages 10-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Children's literature powerhouses Napoli and Wiesner have teamed up to create a striking graphic novel. On the boardwalk, visitors flock to Ocean Wonders, a tank filled with a shark, fish, an octopus, and a turtle-and the star attraction, the elusive Fish Girl. Though kids stare into the water, they catch only a glimpse of the mermaid's fin or arm. Fish Girl's owner and protector, who calls himself Neptune, exerts a Svengali-like control over his mute ward, claiming that he once ruled the ocean and forbidding her from fully revealing herself. But when the young mermaid befriends a girl who visits the tank, she begins to question Neptune's stories about her past and to dream about escaping. Employing inspired composition, a masterly sense of perspective and angles, and a palette dominated by vivid blues and greens, Wiesner submerges readers in Fish Girl's world, conveying both her affection for her home and her companion Octopus and her desire to know life outside her constricting tank. The realistic images and controlled linework hint at a sense of magic below the surface. However, the narrative may stymie readers. Many questions go unanswered (for instance, how does Fish Girl trade her scales and fins for legs when she leaves the water?), and the book ends on a somewhat ambiguous note. VERDICT A gorgeous though cryptic offering; hand this modern-day fairy tale to those who appreciate folklore-influenced fiction.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Welcome to Ocean Wonders, a three-story building by the shore that is a novelty aquarium made up of large interconnected tanks that provide an immersive experience to visitors. The real attraction, though, is Fish Girl: a mermaid whose job is to be glimpsed by visitors but never fully seen. The proprietor of Ocean Wonders, and Fish Girls caretaker, is Neptune. With his magical trident, he conjures waves and calls up storms during their daily spectacle. Life has always been this way, until Fish Girl is seen and befriended by Livia, a human girl who calls her Mira (short for Miracle). Brash Livia tells Neptune she knows his secrets: he must be using machines and remote controls to create the wave and storm effects. Is what Livia said true? How did Mira really come to be Neptunes ward? And what would happen if she got out of her fish-tank prison? Wiesner and Napoli create an intriguing original tale, narrated almost entirely through Miras thoughts, allowing for the gradual revelation of truth as the protagonist begins to uncover it. Wiesners first foray into graphic novels features his trademark clean lines and studied details in watercolor panel illustrations interspersed with a few powerful double-page spreads. The panels are mostly uniform, reinforcing Miras feeling of confinement; however, some variation in the presentation might have helped reflect Miras chaotic emotional state even better (it would have been less puzzling, too, if readers could see Miras gills, which are mentioned in the text but not pictured throughout the book). Quibbles aside, this gorgeous volume is definitely a welcome addition for any graphic novel collection. roxanne hsu feldman (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Napoli and Wiesner transport readers under the sea, introducing them to a modern-day heroine who longs to be part of their world.In this riveting graphic novel adaptation of the famous Andersen fairy tale, the nameless mermaid character is part of an aquatic exhibit run by a man who plays the part of Neptune the sea god. Napoli and Wiesner use the form's sparse dialogue to deftly reimagine the fairy tale's essential elements, from the heartbreaking divide between land and sea to the indomitable heroine who is willing to risk everything to cross that barrier and follow her heartin this case, catalyzed by her growing friendship with a human girl who visits her regularly in the aquarium. The shrewd interpretation of the tale's sexual politics is its most striking feature. The mermaid becomes an Everygirl who discovers that her identity and personhood are subordinated to a man whose sinister charm barely conceals his marginalizing view of her as profitable merchandise. Given current events, the image of a falsely benevolent Neptune who systematically chips away at the mermaid's self-worth feels eerily apt, rendering the mermaid's desire for a life on land all the more poignant. Wiesner's artwork aptly conveys the narrative's tone, but the muted color palette makes his illustrations feel oddly inert. The mermaid, her human friend, and Neptune all have fair skin. A thought-provoking work that is not to be missed. (Graphic fantasy. 10-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
