This is a lovely story about friendship and the power of light. Although this particular story is not as deeply allegorical as some of Shimada's other books, it is still a wonderful read for adults and children. I read this book to my four year old and she absolutely loved the illustrations and the mermaid story. Although the deeper meaning about friendship and healing is lost on her, it was good enough that she sat through reading the book and interacted a lot with the pictures. I enjoyed the story and am curious to see if the author will revisit the characters in upcoming books because they were quite well done and rather enjoyable to follow.
I'd also like to reiterate, the illustrations in this series are absolutely stunning and add so much to the reading experience. The illustrator is incredibly talented and the vibrancy of the images as well as the brilliant expressions in the characters helps to bring the story to life in a memorable way. It is a truly beautiful book because of this.
