Unlike in The Lion and the Mouse, there are plenty of words in this beautiful Pinkney picture book. There have been many versions of the Little Mermaid tale over the years, from the sad original to the Disney romance; this version takes out the prince and gives us a focus on friendship. As such, it ends up very reminiscent of William Steig's Amos and Boris. ( )

Pinkney's typically lush watercolor and pencil illustrations help retell the story of The Little Mermaid, featuring Black mermaids and a female friend, rather than a prince, on the shore. Melody (not Ariel) longs for a friend, and is willing to trade her voice to the sea witch in exchange for legs. Her new friend, Zion, is horrified when she learns what Melody has done. The two experience a brief but true friendship before Melody is called back to the sea to save her father from the sea witch. In this version, a wise old sea turtle is the little mermaid's guardian, and when Melody returns and gets her voice (and tail) back, her family is more interested in hearing what she has to say. ( )