The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids

“The combination of real photographs and whimsical illustrations is not only unique, but very appealing to young readers. Paquette plays with language, font styles, and color to catch the reader’s eye. A fun read-aloud, and one that would lend to a creative writing lesson, this energetic new book will surely be a great additional to any elementary library.” –Library Media Connection, starred 

“This second Tiptoe Guide has readers scouring the seashore for mermaids and imagining what their lives must be like. … Listen to a conch shell’s secrets, search a tidal pool for evidence of baby mermaids, imagine shells as mermaid jewelry, sand dollars as money and ocean plants as food, with crabs scrounging the leftovers.” —Kirkus

“This seaside ramble mingles facts and fantasy with photographs and whimsical drawings to encourage young children to imagine mermaidy goings-on at the beach. Here the creatures are sparkly, spindle-armed creatures that use sand dollars as boogie boards.” —Wall Street Journal

“Blends fact and fiction in its story and illustrations to tell the story of a boy and girl who go to the beach, hunting for mermaids. Photographs are merged with illustrations and wonderfully, suddenly mermaids are in the tide pools, along the shore, and so are their jewels. Facts about shells are combined with mermaids to bring realism and magic side-by-side.”—The Children’s Book Review, Summer Reading List

“Now on a mermaid hunt, the children look from tidal pool to open beach and everywhere in between. They wonder what sea dollars will buy at the mermaid market, and imagine the fabled creatures cavorting with crabs, dolphins, and seahorses. The frolicking mermaids are, of course, all around, but are unseen by the children until a message in a bottle leads them to the mermaids’ hiding place. Readers will no doubt delight in being able to see the clearly visible mermaids when the characters cannot.” —School Library Journal

“The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids is a great companion for kids (particularly girls) spending a day on the beach. Paquette sprinkles the mermaid fantasy with a dash of education, teaching kids about shells, plants, and animals that live in and near the water. And the combination of actual photos with Letourneau’s whimsical mermaid illustrations will enthrall young readers.” —US Kids’ Mags, Parent & Teacher Website

“The perfect book to set the stage for a summer trip to the beach… Who wouldn’t look at a tide pool differently if trying to find mermaids or their treasures? The text is simple enough for young readers and it invites children and their adult friends to make up their own chapters of the story.” –Portland Book Review