Feel Free to Dazzle! Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
JULIÁN IS A MERMAID
Written and illustrated by Jessica Love
(Candlewick Press; $16.99, Ages 4-8)
Julián is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love, is a brilliant debut picture book. As Julián and his abuela leave the public pool, they share the subway ride with some women dressed as mermaids. Julián loves mermaids and feels he is one too. He demonstrates this while his abuela’s away taking a bath. At the crucial moment of discovery, Abuela encourages Julián and takes him to his tribe: a gathering of likeminded people.
Jessica Love’s beautiful sentiment is echoed in her vibrant, festive art done by hand with ink, gouache, and watercolor on brown paper. Richly rendered, expressive characters stand out against muted backgrounds. This 40-page picture book gently shows how easy it can be to accept others. Potentially contentious moments are, instead, depicted with understanding.
Using words sparingly, Julián is a Mermaid captures the colorful expansiveness of our imaginations when given free rein.
★Starred reviews – Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
About the author: Jessica Love is an illustrator and Broadway actress. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as a graduate degree from Juilliard. She lives in New York.
• Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt
Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com
@WFSediting,Christine@Write-for-Success.com
Read another recent review by Christine Van Zandt here.