Parker Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes (review)

Like her sisters before her, ten-year-old Maddy has been summoned from their New Orleans home to visit their mysterious Grandmère in the Bon Temps bayou. After hearing tales of outhouses and ghosts, Maddy is understandably nervous about visiting Grandmère, but the bayou, its people, and even her mystical grandmother eventually win her over. Maddy also discovers that, like Grandmère, she also has magical gifts: while out on an airboat with her new pal, Bear, Maddy spies what looks like a mermaid, one with dark skin like Maddy’s own. Soon, she realizes that the mermaid is Mama Wati, an African water spirit who watched over one of the family’s ancestors. As Maddy makes friends, explores the bayou, and develops her dream-like skill of interacting with Mama Wati, she feels a growing sense of dread. Savvy readers will connect Maddy’s visions of black tendrils in the water to Bear’s dad’s occupation—worker on a deep water oil rig. An explosion on the rig eventually kills Bear’s father and sends oil spewing out into the Gulf, but Maddy summons Mama Wati and her fellow mermaids to help save Bon Temps by creating an underwater levy. Rhodes’ understatedly poetic language keeps the mystical bits enchanting but never overblown. While there is a certain contrivance to the plot, the oil spill incident is handled without didacticism, the deaths of Bear’s unhappy father and multiple oil-covered birds are heart-rending moments, and the pacing is thoughtful but agile. Small, black and white spot art (resembling woodcut prints) attractively accent the beginnings of each chapter, and an author’s note briefly explains some of the sources of inspiration for this tale. Imaginative kids who enjoy immersing themselves in a reading experience will take to this like a mermaid to water.