Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps

Kenzie turns her fierce love for the ocean into action, resourcefully cleaning up the beach after her mermaid-tail swimsuit tangles in floating plastic bags.

When Kenzie slips on her mermaid tail, she becomes Mermaid Kenzie, protector of the deeps. One day as Kenzie snorkels around a shipwreck, she discovers more plastic bags than fish. Grabbing her spear and mermaid net, she begins to clean up the water and the shore--inspiring other kids to help.
 
Beautifully written in African American Vernacular English, this poetic picture book includes back matter with information about how plastic winds up in our oceans and examples of people—some of them kids, like Kenzie—who have worked to protect the sea. Mermaid Kenzie celebrates the ways that all of us, no matter how small, can make a difference.

Charlotte Watson Sherman's debut picture book was Brown Sugar Babe. She grew up in Seattle and now lives near a marine sanctuary in Santa Barbara, California.

Geneva Bowers is a self-taught illustrator based in western North Carolina. She's illustrated the children's books BEYONCÉ: SHINE YOUR LIGHT and CURLS, among others. Geneva's work has won the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist and a 2018 BSFA Award nomination. 
Illustrator site: genevab.com