A mermaid girl by Sana Rafi, illustrated by Olivia Aserr

 Heba (named in the publisher's flap, not in the book itself) is excited to wear her new yellow burkini to the pool. She looks at the pictures of the women in her family who have been swimmers, at her mama's matching swimsuit, and imagines how awesome she will look, just like a mermaid. But when she arrives and her friends tell her she looks different and question whether she will be able to participate in their activities, she looks around and realizes that nobody else is dressed like she is. When she's worried and upset that she doesn't fit in, her mother reminds her of all the mermaids in her family and she imagines herself swimming with them in rich purples and blues. She leaps in and becomes a shining yellow mermaid. Her friends still ask curiously if she can do the same things in the water that they can, but their questions don't phase her and she just shows them that she can - and soon they are all being mermaids together. 

Aserr's illustrations show Heba and her mother with warm brown skin, her mother wearing a head wrap and Heba's chin-length hair in brown curls. Heba's friends are Sam, a white boy with red hair and Eliza, a black girl in a green bikini. The pool shows a mix of skin colors and body types, but no other people wearing burkinis and Heba's interactions with her mother imply that their own connected family is far away. The water gushes across the page in blues and greens and Heba constantly imagines herself and her distant family as mermaids, their feathery tales flicking across the page and through the water.

There's no in-depth discussion of Heba's culture, why the women in her family have chosen to wear burkinis, or didactic moments where Eliza and Sam are told their questions are hurtful or rude. The story is presented simply as one girl's experience and instead of trying to explain to her friends, her mother bolsters up Heba's confidence and helps her find her inner strength. Heba's answer, after her initial worries, is to simply show her friends she can do everything they can and they are quickly won over by her sparkle and are eager to be mermaids themselves.

While an adult reading this story with a child or class might point out that the other children's questions are rude (not to mention illogical - why wouldn't she be able to swim in her burkini?) I think this will have more impact on kids who have experienced being the only one to stand out in a group, either because of their culture, skin color, religion, or other differences. Interestingly, in my area it's more likely to resonate with Christian groups that emphasize "modest" clothing for girls and I hope that it will not only encourage the kids whose parents have made choices that often make them stand out, but also drive home the point that Heba and her mother celebrate their own culture and choices without putting down others' choices.

Verdict: A joyful celebration of family traditions and culture as well as a fun book on the topic of swimming and sure to appeal to kids who like to imagine themselves as mermaids. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780593327609; Published June 2022 by Viking; Borrowed from another library in my consortium