Also by this author: The Awkward Dinosaurs
Published by KR Publishing on September 2020
Genres: Children's
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Some people think mermaids just swim around all day, swishing their tales and playing with sea horses. But really, mermaids are hard-working, keeping the entire ocean running! This picture book explores a few mermaids that have exciting jobs, regardless of what people might expect of them. They dream big and work to reach their goals!
Hard-Working Mermaids seeks to revolutionize mermaid mythology for a new generation. Gone are the Ariels of Disney (or even Hans Christian Andersen) fame. Swept away are the seductive sirens of ye olde pirate tales. These mermaids are neither vainglorious nor vindictive. They’re just hard workers who want to talk about what they do!
Kellen Roggenbuck, always whimsical and inventive, introduces readers to a mermaid world where the mermaid aren’t quite what you’d think. One panel tells you the mermaid’s name. The other panel on the page tells you what they do.
Nikki has the second largest kelp farm in the ocean.
Amelia is a chef who owns a restaurant.
Liza is an electrician.
You get the idea. And you also start to get the idea that Roggenbuck isn’t just talking about mermaids. He’s giving young girls ideas of what sorts of jobs they could have, dressing it up with the fantasy of being a mermaid. Mermaids aren’t just there to be helpless maidens. They do big jobs and keep the ocean running. Some of their jobs are dangerous (you really wanna be an underwater electrician?). Hard-Working Mermaids concludes: Nobody can tell them they can’t or that it’s too hard. Mermaids follow their dreams.
I appreciate the way Roggenbuck goes about his message. He doesn’t beat readers over the head with it. He doesn’t call attention to certain jobs being “unusual.” He presents all the jobs as hard, rewarding, and equally of use to the community. It’s a great conversation starter for young ones to begin to think about the kinds of things they like doing and a great reminder that they can be and do anything.