{"id":2129,"date":"2023-08-28T19:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T19:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2129"},"modified":"2023-08-28T19:15:02","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T19:15:02","slug":"review-mother-of-sharks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/2023\/08\/28\/review-mother-of-sharks\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2013 Mother of Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Melissa Cristina M\u00e1rquez, illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may well be one of the most beautiful books I\u2019ve had the pleasure of reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

From the book blurb:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs the sun sets over another gorgeous day at la Playita Del Condado in Puerto Rico, Meli doesn’t want to go home. She loves the ocean more than anything, and with only five minutes left at the beach, she knows exactly where her last stop should be: the tidal pools. They are small universes of their own teeming with critters and creatures of the ocean. While looking into the pools, she meets a crab, Jaiba, who takes her on a dreamlike underwater adventure, teaches her about the importance of shark conservation, and reveals Meli’s ultimate destiny: to become the Mother of Sharks. Blending the autobiographical with the fantastical, Melissa Cristina M\u00e1rquez shares her incredible story not only to dispel myths about these misunderstood creatures but also to pave the way for Latinas in STEM. Paired with Devin Elle Kurtz’s vibrant, emotive illustrations, this picture book is an irresistible journey through the wonders of the ocean and, above all, a rallying cry for marine conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The cover alone made me want to buy this book but the interior is where it really comes to life.  The words and illustrations dance together in perfect harmony and flow through the book, taking the reader with them, as they tell a beautiful tale that is both heartwarming and filled with hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m rather partial to beautiful art and perhaps the book would have been worth it for this alone.  But it\u2019s quite clear to see how the words have inspired that art and how the main character, Meli, is brought to life in such a perfect way.  Very early in the book, Meli is pictured climbing into a rock pool in which a hermit crab is living and the eager way she does so captures so much in one go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a book that not only tells part of Meli\u2019s story, it shows that there is beauty in the natural world that can be appreciated and studied by anyone, no matter their background.  It\u2019s also a magical book that children will be enchanted by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t already guessed, I thoroughly recommend this book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Melissa Cristina M\u00e1rquez, illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz This may well be one of the most beautiful books I\u2019ve had the pleasure of reading. From the book blurb: \u201cAs the sun sets over another gorgeous day at la Playita Del Condado in Puerto Rico, Meli doesn’t want to go home. She loves the ocean … <\/p>\n

Read more “Review \u2013 Mother of Sharks”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[375,60,378,379],"tags":[19,271,380,381],"class_list":["post-2129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-books","category-childrens-books","category-picture-books","tag-art","tag-books","tag-childrens-books","tag-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2131,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129\/revisions\/2131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steve-ince.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}