The Tiniest Mermaid
by Laura Garnham (Author), Patricia MacCarthy (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 2-8
Hardcover: 28 pages
Publisher: Good Books (May 2006)
The Tiniest Mermaid, by Laura Garnham, is a tale of rescue, recovery, friendship and the creation of lasting memories. Lily, a young girl who lives by the ‘wide blue’ sea, discovers a tiny mermaid who washed up onto the rocks after a big storm. Lily rescues Delphi the mermaid, taking care of her in a fish tank. The two become great friends as Lily is taken on a delightful and colorful journey of life as a mermaid. Once Delphi is strong, healthy and has full sparkle in her tail, she must return to the ocean and the company of her other mermaid friends. Saying goodbye is often hard, so Delphi gives a gorgeous sparkling shell to Lily – now she will always be able to hear the ocean and know that her mermaid friend is nearby. Patricia MacCarthy’s illustrations are a perfect match for this vibrantly imaginative story. On every page Delphi’s tail increasingly sparkles with emerald-green shine as she recovers, making this book very appealing to the visual sense of young children … and anyone else who is a sucker for objects that glitter and shine. The highlight of The Tiniest Mermaid is the page where Lily takes a ride with a pod of dolphins – very sweet!