  | Mother of sharks Author: Marquez, Melissa Cristina | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
As the sun sets over another gorgeous day at la Playita Del Condado in Puerto Rico, Meli doesn't want to go home. While looking into the tide pools, she meets a crab, Jaiba, who takes her on a dreamlike underwater adventure, teaches her about the importance of shark conservation, and reveals Meli's ultimate destiny: to become the Mother of Sharks.
| Illustrator: | Kurtz, Devin Elle |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (04/01/23)
School Library Journal (06/30/23)
Booklist (05/15/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (00/05/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 06/30/2023 Gr 2–4—A fantastical fictionalized account of the childhood of Melissa Cristina Marquez in Puerto Rico. Melissa has a few minutes left to play outdoors in the ocean and swims out to a tide pool where she meets a hermit crab, who becomes her guide in the study and exploration of sharks. The beautiful painterly artwork shows the glory of aquatic life and imbues the joy in learning and then sharing the secrets of the ocean depths. The story is told from the first person point-of-view of Melissa as a child, talking to a hermit crab who first appears in her dream life, building up towards her present life as a marine biologist. However, the story uses the talking hermit crab to guide her through layers of dreams that shift perspectives continually: Melissa is first seen staying too long in a tide pool, then dreaming about sharks in bed, then going to the library to study where she meets her future self, then ending back in the tide pool. The story is told with short phrases in Spanish, which is clearly understood via context cues. The book includes a letter from the author, a glossary, list of additional resources, and list of translated text. VERDICT Important purchase for its representation of Latinx/Hispanics in the hard sciences; however, the structure and the layered framework of the story makes it confusing and problematic as a read-aloud.—Vi Ha - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 05/15/2023 Márquez, a Latina marine biologist, weaves autobiographical elements into a fantasy narrative in this picture book for children interested in STEM, particularly those underrepresented in those fields. Before heading home from La Playita del Condado, a beach in Puerto Rico, young Meli explores a tidal pool, where she meets Jaiba, a talking hermit crab. Jaiba takes Meli on an underwater tour, and she discovers a mako shark trapped in a net. After releasing the shark, Meli becomes interested in all kinds of sharks. Time then speeds up, allowing her to visit a library with shark books, hear a female shark researcher, and meet this same researcher, deemed the “Mother of Sharks,” on a field expedition. In this last encounter, Meli learns that she has met her future scientist self. Luminous illustrations that capture both the warm sunlight and turquoise waters add a vivid backdrop to the magical story, which also incorporates Spanish phrases. Endpapers of labeled sharks, informative back matter, and an encouraging letter from the author wrap up this entertaining and inspirational tale. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
