#502 of 1001 · December 15, 2021

Let me take you on an underwater exploration of wonder and enchantment with @lisamantchev and @david_c_litchfield’s Remarkables. A young boy, while snorkeling off the side of a pier, comes face to face with a mermaid. The two become fast friends, and she takes him on a tour of the sunken wonders of the deep. He in turn tells her of his life with the traveling circus where Then she happily returns to the surface with him and spends time as a sideshow attraction in the circus where he works. Finally, they know it is time for the mermaid to return to her life underwater. The boy swims right along with his newfound friend, and his circus companions are only too happy to join them. The book’s written and visual components exhibit a distinctly modern relationship. Mantchev makes no mention of an underwater adventure or a circus sideshow; instead she unfolds the story indirectly, expounding wider philosophical truths such as, “Some memories become the stories written upon your heart,” and “Sometimes we go looking for an adventure only to discover exactly where we belong.” The characters and their interactions are only visible through Litchfield’s bright mixed-media digital art. This symbiotic relationship of text and image lays the foundation for a touching and emotionally insightful narrative. #boy #mermaid #underwater #circus #adventure #friend #friends #friendship #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks