A bedtime guide for good mermaids intrudes upon a feisty mergirl's personal routine with comedic results in this tongue-in-cheek offering. First things first, she's no good mermaid. She is a predator, and sleep is for guppies. She brushes her teeth, sure . . . so that they gleam like razor-sharp blades. She polishes her scales that they flash like danger. This utterly enjoyable reinterpretation of mermaids, told in an innovative way, is deliciously naughty, though it may skew too dark for some. It's a bedtime story turned on its head, with digital illustrations that perfectly balance adorable and disturbing. Sure, she has teeth that tear through scales and crunch bones, and she shouts things like, "I am the darkness," while swimmers paddle away from her in panic. But she's baby-bellied and aqua-haired and somehow still cute, despite her violent and humorous protestations. This book is utterly original, delightfully dark, and as twisted as a branch of undersea coral. Good night, little mermaid. Sweet nightmares.

This little mermaid is having none of that sweet stuff.In this tale of metafiction, a scowling, green-haired, light-skinned mermaid takes umbrage at the titular bedtime guide. As she points out, "Sleep is for guppies." The book-within-a-book begins with a good little mermaid readying herself for bed. The green-haired mermaid looks perturbed: "I'm not a good little mermaid. I am a predator." And when the book notes that the good little mermaid brushes her teeth before bed, our protagonist is annoyed. "Who cares if my teeth are clean when they can tear through scales and crunch bones?" But she reconsiders so her teeth will "gleam like razor-sharp blades." The wholesome instruction continues, but our mermaid continues to insist she's a nightmare of the deep…until the yawns begin. The book-within-a-book ends with "sweet dreams, little mermaid," to which the protagonist cheekily replies, "Sweet nightmares." Sumner's tale will have bedtime-reluctant guppies giggling. The pages of the saccharine-sweet bedtime guide are overlaid onto illustrations of the protagonist and her pufferfish and octopus friends. The artwork also shows that our hero's not quite as naughty as she presents herself; when the good little mermaid gathers up a favorite toy, our protagonist imagines a giant goblin shark…but as she drifts off, we see her snuggled up with a downright adorable shark stuffie. Gregory's dynamic, digitally created illustrations have a watercolor look and perfectly convey the humor in the text.A must for mermaid fans, sweet or sassy, and a great bedtime read. (Picture book. 3-8)

A fierce young mermaid rebels against prim behavioral advice in Sumner’s ornery metafictional title. The protagonist’s outrage begins in reaction to the titular volume’s opening line: “Once upon an evening, a good little mermaid begins to get ready for bed.” Responding “I’m not a good little mermaid. I am a predator,” she continues to react ferociously to the parallel text. When the guide notes that “a well-moisturized tail will glisten like the night stars,” she counters, “I AM THE NIGHT. I AM THE DARKNESS.” Gregory’s digital artwork casts the merchild with pink skin, flowing blue-green hair, and eyes that widen menacingly. Seafoam-colored scenes show her preparing to chow down on fish, a young snorkler, and even an entire ship before wishing the audience “SWEET NIGHTMARES.” It’s a story for the bedtime-avoidant whose curmudgeonly antihero truly shines—“LIKE A FLASH OF DANGER.” Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)