Published by Penguin Workshop

Summary:  Enjoying her last swim of the day at Puerto Rico’s Playita del Condado, Meli is amazed to find a talking hermit crab named Jaiba in one of the tidal pools.  Jaiba takes Meli on a magical journey underwater where she sees bleached coral and rescues a mako shark that’s tangled up in a plastic net. As Meli learns more from Jaiba about sharks and environmental damage that’s affecting them, she wonders if she can grow up to help them, since she’s never seen a scientist who looks like her.  Jaiba then takes her to meet one, a Hispanic woman known as the Mother of Sharks.  Inspired, Meli returns to the beach and her mom, excited to pursue her dreams.  Includes a letter from the author, a renowned marine biologist who grew up in Puerto Rico; a glossary; a list of resources; a translation of the Spanish words and phrases used in the story; and endpapers with about two dozen different types of sharks and their names. 48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  Gorgeous underwater illustrations (I love the cover!) depict a world that may inspire others to follow dreams of marine biology; the story offers positive affirmations that those dreams available to everyone.

Cons:  The font was small and hard to read in some of the darker-hued illustrations.