Treasure Quest: Oona by Kelly DiPucchio

OONA WAS SWEET... AND A LITTLE BIT SALTY....

... All of which behooves a little mermaid who lives in the deeps of the sea with her best friend, a cute sea otter named Otto, although not without frequent visits to the beach to collect seashells for her collection and visit with the folks in the shallows. But being a mermaid, Oona had a penchant for searching for treasure, too--coins, bottles, keys. Otto even found a pair of glasses.

BUT THERE WAS ONE SPECIAL TREASURE OONA COULD NEVER QUITE REACH--THE CROWN. IT WAS EXTRA SPARKLY!

STILL, OONA WAS DETERMINED.

.

But the crown was stuck in a deep, narrow rift in the sea bottom, and Oona couldn't quite fathom how to extract it, until, beachcoming with Otto, she found a long, spiraled and pointy shell that had distinct possibilities. But there was always a significant problem--a giant squid, a shark, a conk on the head from a drifting plank, and...

CRABBY CRABS! WAVY WAVES!

ALTHOUGH MERMAIDS ARE GENERALLY NOT QUITTERS... OONA SAID, "I QUIT!"

But without her quest, Oona feels as if she's lost her spark and finally, wearing the glasses to protect her eyes from swirling sand and carrying her spiraling shell for drilling purposes, she decides to dive deep in a final quest to fetch the crown. And even if all that glitters really is gold, Oona finds what she really needs to retrieve her spark may lie beyond, in Kelly DiPucchio's Oona (HarperCollins, 2021).

In lovely lush, watery greens, blues, and purples, Raisa Figuroa's illustrations of endearing marine animals are appealing, and little Oona is definitely not your usual Hans Christian Anderson OR Disney mermaid. Writes School Library Journal in their starred review, “This title celebrates independence, self-confidence, and bravery to try the new even after defeat as Oona becomes aware of the true treasure in her personal effort.”