Book Review: Julian is a Mermaid

 

Written by: Jessica Love
Published by: Candlewick Press, April 23, 2018
ISBN:  978-0763690458

Plot Summary

Julian is riding with his Abuela on the subway when he sees 3 mermaids. Julian tells his Abuela that he is a mermaid too and daydreams about turning into a mermaid with a real tale. When they get home, Abuela takes a bath and Julian finds items around the house that will turn him into a mermaid. When Abuela gets out of the bath and sees Julian dressed like a mermaid, she gives him a gift and takes him to see a surprise. 

Critical Analysis

Julian is a Mermaid is a touching story about Julian's relationship with his Abuela and her accepting and supportive treatment of his true self. Julian and his Abuela always start off their Saturday with a swim and the first pages that the reader sees upon opening it is Julian submerged in a pool with Abuela and her friends. The ladies are all at the top of the pool floating and bobbing up and down, all of them in swim caps. Julian, however, swims beneath the surface, exploring the water. This sets the scene for the story. 

On the subway on the way home, they see 3 women dressed as mermaids on their way to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Julian knows in his heart that he is truly a mermaid. There is no overt discussion of Julian's gender. On the very first page, Julian is introduced as a boy and throughout the book, Abuela refers to him as "mijo", which is a masculine term of endearment, literally translated as "my son". However, Julian's insistence that he is a mermaid is never held at odds with the fact that he is a boy, his Abuela's mijo. There is no conflict between these 2 parts of Julian's identity. 

After Julian sees the mermaids on the subway, the book segues into several pages of just illustrations with no text. We see Julian transforming from a boy sitting on the subway into the water, his clothes shedding and his hair growing, until he is a fully formed mermaid with a tail, face-to-face with a large fish. It is obvious that these illustrations show Julian's internal concept of his true self. Julian is Julian, yet he is also a mermaid. These things do not contradict one another. 

The style of the illustrations themselves are fluid, almost as if one is looking at an image under water. Abuela's hair stands up in the images of them on the subway and in their apartment, almost defying gravity. The rich tan color of the background lends itself to Julian and Abuela's skin tone. Had the backgrounds been in white or off-white, the color of their skin would stand out more. As is, they are surrounded by other rich tones, making their own skin tones one with their surroundings. This helps to show how at-home Julian must feel. 

The climax of the story occurs when Abuela exits the shower to find Julian has used items from around their household to create his mermaid costume. At first, one might think that she is angry, given the look on her face. But, she never chastises Julian, In fact, she goes to find a beaded necklace, which ends up being the perfect finishing touch for his ensemble. This act of acceptance says so much without using any words. Then, she goes even further and takes him to see the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. She tells him that they are mermaids, just like him. This ultimate act of acceptance from his parental figure cements the "rightness" of Julian's self identity. 

Awards Won

2019- Stonewall Book Award Winner

2019- Klaus Flugge Prize

Review Excerpt

From Kirkus Reviews published March 4, 2018

"In a sequence of wordless double-page spreads, the watercolor, gouache, and ink art—perfect for this water-centric tale—depicts adorable Julián’s progression from human to mermaid: reading his book on the el with water rushing in, then swimming in that water and freeing himself from the constraints of human clothing as his hair grows longer (never losing its texture). When Julián discovers he has a mermaid tail, his charming expressions make his surprise and delight palpable. At home, Julián tells Abuela that he, too, is a mermaid; Abuela admonishes him to “be good” while she takes a bath. A loose interpretation of being “good” could include what happens next as Julián decides to act out his “good idea”: He sheds his clothes (all except undies), ties fern fronds and flowers to his headband, puts on lipstick, and fashions gauzy, flowing curtains into a mermaid tail. When Abuela emerges with a disapproving look, readers may think Julián is in trouble—but a twist allows for a story of recognition and approval of his gender nonconformity. Refreshingly, Spanish words aren’t italicized.
Though it could easily feel preachy, this charmingly subversive tale instead offers a simple yet powerful story of the importance of being seen and affirmed." 

Connections

Share pictures of the real Coney Island Mermaid Parade: https://www.coneyisland.com/programs/mermaid-parade

Read other books about gender expression and self-expression: Be Who You Are by Todd Parr, They, She, He, Me: Free to Be! by Maya and Matthew Smith-Gonzalez, or Children Just Like Me: Understanding Gender Expression from DK. 

Book Review: Ask Me No Questions

 

Written by: Marina Budhos
Published by: Ginee Seo Books, February 1, 2006
ISBN: 978-1416949206

Plot Summary

Nadira and her family have lived in New York City for years, having immigrated from Bangladesh and overstayed their original visas. They've managed to quietly blend in at school and in the city, but following the events of 9/11, that becomes more difficult. Both public backlash as well as new laws and registration requirements lead her parents to make the difficult decision to drive to the Canadian border to apply for asylum. However, when they get there, they are told that the Canadian government is overwhelmed with applications and are directed to turn around and go back. Nadira's father is arrested at the border, leading her mother to stay in a shelter to be near him and her sister, Aisha, and her to return to their previous lives and attempt to retain some semblance of normalcy while they worry about their father and their futures.

Critical Analysis

The experience of immigrants in the United States is a major theme in Middle Eastern literature for Children and Young Adults. Ask Me No Questions takes on this topic through the eyes of Nadira and her family, who are immigrants from Bangladesh. They have lived in the United States for 8 years and Nadira has trouble even remembering their life in Bangladesh before that. However, due to a change in the laws following 9/11, they seek asylum in Canada to avoid her father having to register and be caught with an expired visa. After 9/11, many immigrants from the Middle East were judged and maligned by the country that many of them had thought of as home for years.

Nadira and her family as characters are well fleshed out and while they definitely retain some typical aspects of their cultures, they are far from being mere stereotypes. Her Abba supports both Nadira and her sister Aisha in their education and encourages them both to chase their dreams, even going so far as to invest the little extra money he had in a savings account through their mosque. This very normal American thing- saving for your child's college- becomes an issue for his immigration case when the government believes that he was contributing to a fund for terrorists instead. This points to the assumptions that were frequently made about people of Muslim faith after 9/11. Because the way that Abba chose to save money for his daughters was through his mosque, a place he trusted, rather than a bank, as most white Americans would do, the Immigration Office assumed that it was something much more sinister.

Although Abba has more modern ideas about his daughter, Nadira's uncle is shown in a more stereotypical light with more traditional views about women. Her cousin, Taslima, is dating a white man, wears clothing of which her parents' do not approve, and ends up leaving college to join a group of people working to help immigrants. Rather than thinking of her as a strong woman, she is seen as disobedient, like a child. And although her boyfriend (and then husband), frequently assists her family in navigating the difficult immigration system, her parents still do not like that he is white.

Nadira's family does retain some traditional elements of their Bangladeshi culture. Her parents and her aunt and uncle wear traditional dress and they generally eat foods based on their cultural background at home. However, Nadira does not wear a head covering because she wants to fit in with her classmates. She also has an appetite for Western food that is shown through her choices in the book. When her father is detained, her mother decides to stay at a shelter near him so that she can attend his hearings. Before her daughters return home, she insists upon buying a new coat from the Salvation Army so that she "looks right" for the hearings. The coat she chooses is one that she thinks looks like Jackie Kennedy. This statement shows that Ma realizes that when she shows up in court, it would help her husband if she looks as "American" as possible and she will need the proper coat to cover up her more traditional clothing.

Although Aisha is described as the smart daughter throughout the book, she loses hope and seems to slide into a depression during the time her father is detained. This is understandable since she is a high school senior and sees her dreams of being valedictorian and attending college slipping away. Her friends at school are also BIPOC girls, some of whom are also immigrants, but none of them are there on an expired Visa, and Aisha never shares her true situation with her friends. As they talk about their plans, she distances herself from them and ends up self-sabotaging when she skips out on a college interview.

Nadira, who has always looked down on herself ends up growing throughout the book and steps into the hole that her sister has left as the leader of the family. She considers purchasing illegal documents from a boy in the neighborhood, but can't go through with it. Instead, she attends the hearing and proves that her father was just saving for their college and that they had his name spelled incorrectly on his paperwork, confusing him with other men who had similar names. This not only shows Nadira's growth but is an example of the attitudes of white Americans towards people from the Middle East.

Awards Won

2007- ALA's Best Books for Young Adults

Review Excerpt

From Publishers Weekly published February 6, 2006

"As Budhos's provocative novel opens, 14-year-old narrator Nadira Hossain and her family are heading north to Canada, seeking asylum from the harassment that has become routine in the U.S. in the wake of 9/11. The family left Bangladesh for America eight years ago on a tourist visa and stayed; the first lawyer they hired to make them legal citizens was a fraud, the second was unsuccessful. At Flushing High in Queens, with a large population of immigrant students, the "policy" is "Ask me no questions," according to Nadira. But just as her sister, Aisha, is interviewing at colleges like Barnard, with a shot at valedictorian, the questions start coming hard and fast to the people of their community—some of whom disappear in the night with immigration officers, detained for months before being deported. In a desperate move, the Hossains travel to Canada, where they are turned away; their father, Abba, is placed in a U.S. jail cell at the border, their mother remains in a shelter nearby, and the girls return to Queens to stay with their aunt and uncle. The message drives the story here; the motivations of the characters are not always clear, and the ending may strike some as a bit tidy. But the events of the novel are powerful enough to engage readers' attention and will make them pause to consider the effects of a legal practice that preys on prejudice and fear." 

Connections

Discuss the events of 9/11 with students and talk about how attitudes towards immigrants from Middle Eastern countries changed after the tragedy.  

Read and discuss this entry on the author's blog: https://marinabudhos.com/blog/talk-to-me.

Book Review: Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship

 

Written by: Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, Illustrated by: Scott Magoon
Published by: Candlewick Press, April 3, 2018
ISBN:  978-1536203011

Plot Summary

Rescue & Jessica tells an adapted version of the real-life story of Boston Marathon bombing victim, Jessica Kensky, and her service dog, Rescue. The book says that Rescue came from a family of seeing-eye dogs, but his trainer thought he would be better suited as a service dog. This made Rescue worried because being a seeing-eye dog was the "family business". Rescue's story of training is intermingled with Jessica's story of learning to live with her new circumstances. In the book, Jessica is a young girl whose legs have been injured. Her left leg has to be amputated and she must re-learn how to do daily tasks. She is introduced to a service dog and after seeing how helpful one could be, applies for one of her own. Rescue and Jessica both celebrate when they are united and together, they learn how to move forward in their new lives.

Critical Analysis

The mirroring of Rescue and Jessica's journies at the beginning of the book is an effective tool to begin to set the stage for their connection later on in the book. Rescue's feelings of uncertainty will be easy for readers to connect to their own lives. Feeling different from your family or worrying that you won't measure up to your parents' expectations is a very universal experience. By sharing Rescue's feelings of worry alongside Jessica's, readers will realize that Jessica's feelings after her injury are similar to feelings that they have had and this will help them connect with her character and understand some of what she is going through. 

The book does an excellent job of describing what Jessica is feeling about her new legs in ways that children can understand. In doing so, she can be seen as a whole person, and not just her disability. Rescue's own thoughts about Jessica help to enforce these feelings, as he describes her as nice, pretty, and amazing. This helps to break down stereotypes that children may have heard about people who are differently abled. When Rescue and Jessica meet, it is told from Rescue's point of view. He tells about how nervous he is to meet her and how he hopes that she won't notice his legs are shaking. There is no mention about Jessica's own recently amputated leg or her wheelchair. 

The bright illustrations, which look like watercolors, are both beautiful and realistic. They show Jessica in her wheelchair, with a bandaged leg, and walking on her prosthetics. This is a great way to open up discussions for children about these devices and how they can help people. The story also talks about Rescue's special vests which he wears to identify himself as a service dog. In pointing out these vests, and including them in the illustrations, the book helps to show that many of us have special things that we wear that might make us look different. 

Since the book is written by Jessica Kensky herself, she is intimately familiar with what it is like to be a double amputee and to have a service dog. It is important in literature about people who are differently-abled to ensure that the author is familiar with the current information on the subject. Since Kensky has first-hand knowledge of the ins and outs of daily life for someone who uses a wheelchair and prosthetics, one can be assured that the book's depiction of her life is accurate. It also gives insight to her own personal feelings and presents her as a whole person, rather than as a stereotype. 

Awards Won

2019- Schneider Family Book Award Winner

Review Excerpt

From The Horn Book published April 16, 2018

"Spot art and full-page illustrations show the progress and challenges that bring their separate journeys together. The two form a powerful bond and work as a team to take care of each other. When Jessica's other leg must also be amputated, "Rescue knew just what to do to help Jessica, all on his own," and the art shows her holding him sleeping in her hospital bed. Together, they "had to start all over again." The quiet and stirring text pairs beautifully with the art, which uses color and white space to convey time, meaning, and emotion with great effect. An author's note explains that Rescue and Jessica's story is based on a real-life partnership, begun when Jessica Kensky was injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing (her husband, co-author Patrick Downes, also lost his leg in the bombing). In the main text, Jessica's injuries are not explained; the story instead focuses on the power and comfort that comes from her relationship with her service dog." 

Connections

Invite a local service-dog trainer to come in and talk to students about what they do and teach them about service dogs (and perhaps bring in a service dog-in training). 

Read an article about Jessica Kensky and Rescue and what their real lives are like. Here is one example, which has an in-depth look at their home: https://www.hgtv.com/design/design-blog/design/boston-marathon-survivors-accessible-condo-makes-everyone-feel-welcome