In this second entry in the Mermaid Days series, pigtailed kid mermaid Vera and her underwater pals have more marine learning adventures. Tidal Grove teacher Ms. Dorsal (part seahorse) takes her class on an exploratory field trip to the tide pools. Vera and Beaker (part octopus) meet hermit crabs and mussels, until Beaker's legs, which have a mind of their own, scare away the small inhabitants. As they head back to school, they encounter giant bubbles, pass through a cloud of ink, and (at first without their knowledge) are followed by a giant kraken. Three self-contained short chapters are told primarily through dialogue, with color-coded speech bubbles relaying enthusiastic, inquisitive conversations. Uno's full-color digital-cartoon illustrations have animated appeal. A pithy "Did You Know?" page of science facts is included, along with easy-to-follow instructions for drawing a kraken and an interactive storytelling prompt. Bright, buoyant and magical, this is a swimmingly fine choice for beginning readers.

Aquatic adventures lead to unexpected friendships.Readers return to Tidal Grove, an aquatic classroom for half-human, half-sea-creature students in this second installment of the Mermaid Days series. In this book, they're reintroduced to characters such as Vera, a tan-skinned, brown-haired mermaid, and Beaker, a pale-skinned, dark-haired half-octopus whose legs have a mind of their own. The story, set across three chapters, follows Vera and Beaker as they discover how to be patient in a tide pool; discuss the Kraken, a fabled giant sea monster; and later make friends when the Kraken follows them to the library. The uneven story, full of bland dialogue, moves erratically, and the lessons are as shallow as the tide pool itself. The diversity of the characters' skin tones and hair should be commended, but the illustrations are flat. Biology-minded readers will be quick to note that Mr. Burbles, the pale-skinned, blond-haired librarian, has frog legs, and amphibians make their homes in freshwater not the sea. Mermaid-obsessed readers will undoubtedly give this book a go but will be left unsatisfied.Throw this one overboard. (Early reader. 6-8)