The Mermaid of Cafur (Barefoot Books)

Rating:
Summary: a beautifully illustrated tale
Review: My 3.5 year old found this book in a bookstore and was so fascinated with the beautiful illustrations that we had to read the entire book there and then. After we brought it home it would become a must read each night for weeks to come. The story has just the right amount of suspense to keep young children engaged, but not too much as to overwhelm them. It was a great book to show children aspects of virtue and vice. My 3.5 year old is picking up from it the goodness of bravery and loyalty. My almost 5 year old also concluded that "if you don't use your power to do good things, you will lose it." It is a rare find as a combination of beautiful illustrations, captivating story, and important lessons to learn from. The text is long and it takes more than 10 minutes to go through the entire book, even longer with explanations. But the children are engaged and will sit through multiple iterations at a time. Some words are not part of ordinary vocabulary for young children but they can be easily explained. This book could easily become a favorite for older children as well.