Sirenak

Julián likes mermaids so much... He imagines himself becoming one of them, swimming and playing with the fish. So, while his grandmother takes a bath, he manages to dress up as a beautiful mermaid. Julián puts on the leaves of a plant as a leafy head of hair. Add some flowers. She paints her lips in front of the mirror and, finally, uses a curtain to make an elegant mermaid tail. When her grandmother comes out of the bathroom she is stunned. Julian gets scared. He thinks that she is angry, that she might scold him, that it is not right to look like a mermaid... But his grandmother surprises him by giving him a necklace to complete his outfit. Then, he takes him to a traditional Carnival party. There he parades alongside octopuses, jellyfish, fish of different colors and, of course, mermaids, many mermaids like him. We are faced with an album with minimal text, but with a display of illustrations overflowing with color and deep meaning. A story told with sobriety and sensitivity, which throws feminine and masculine stereotypes to the ground (shouldn't a boy dress up as a shark or swordfish and a girl as a mermaid?). A book that neither judges nor condemns, that respects each person's desire to be what they dream of and choose, without stigmatizing it. A lesson in openness towards diversity, an example of tolerance and love. Highly recommended for reading as a family, reflecting and discussing with your children at Carnival or at any time of the year... and in life.