Oona the mermaid returns in this second picture book adventure from author/illustrator team Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueroa, this time determined to befriend a reluctant hammerhead shark named Stanley. Despite her outgoing, friendly personality, and her many friendly overtures however, Stanley remains elusive, uninterested in all of Oona's gifts and inventions. Eventually our mermaid heroine discovers that the shark dislikes noise and disruption—something created by all of her prior attempts at befriending him—and she sets out to create an activity that is quiet and contemplative, eventually winning this selachian creature over...

I found Oona, the eponymous first picture book to feature this little mermaid, quite charming, and anticipated that Oona and the Shark would be similarly delightful. Although not quite the equal of its predecessor, for the most part I was not disappointed in this one, finding the narrative engaging and the artwork lovely. There were moments when Oona was a little bit too much here, more focused on her own desire to befriend Stanley, than on what kind of friend she was trying to be to him, but that is part of the underlying message, I think. I appreciate the fact that Oona learns she must tailor her ideas about play to the needs of this other creature, if she is to succeed in befriending him, and that Stanley can be read simply as a shyer more introverted being, or, with his dislike of noise and need for patterns, as someone who is neurodivergent. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first book about Oona, as well as to anyone seeking children's stories about friendship, and how to befriend those who are different from oneself. ( )

This book worked AMAZINGLY in storytime. Yes, it's longish. BUT, I found using voice inflections, asking for help telling the story when there were nearly wordless pages.....the kiddos LOVED it. Believe it or not, kiddos ages 2-5 get being sensitive to noise. We talked about quiet activities to do with friends. We sang our goodbye song quietly. And it was just perfect ( )