Oona by Kelly DiPucchio (review)

DiPucchio, Kelly Oona; illus. by Raissa Figueroa. Tegen/HarperCollins, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062982247 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs

Oona the mermaid loves nothing more than to go hunting for ocean treasure with her pal, Otto the Otter, and she's had her eye on one elusive prize for a while: a beautiful golden crown that is unfortunately stuck deep in a rift. Despite her best strategizing, the crown remains beyond her reach, and eventually she gives up after her various plans with the squid, the lobster crate, and the crabs fail miserably. Oona is still sad ("She was missing her spark. And a mermaid without her spark is like a seagull without an appetite"), so back to the drawing table she goes and comes up with a foolproof plan involving a seashell, a sea turtle, and some pretty snazzy treasure hunting goggles she whips up—which, in the end, prove to be way better than the crown itself. Brown-skinned Oona is undeniably adorable, with a pudgy little belly and a beautifully coiffed Afro (that is roughly half her size), and her pal Otto is similarly charming, with chubby cheeks and mischievous expressions. Greens and blues make an appropriately aquatic palette, and smudgy, indistinct lines enhance the underwater feel. The ending falls a bit flat, but the playful humor is, like Oona herself, "sweet … and a little bit salty," bringing together gentleness with just a dash of sass. Disney kids will recognize the book's many nods to The Little Mermaid and appreciate its attempts to diversify the underwater world.