Luna Grace Girl From Outer Space: Sea Safari
Julie Sykes illustrated by Emily Jones
Piccadilly

Luna Grace, her Earth scientist parents, little brother, Leo, and Twizzle, her moon cat and best friend who communicates with her tail, are settling in to life on Earth having come from Starbright, their home planet. As this second story opens, Luna is excited about their visit to Puffin Island. Her Mum and Dad want to investigate the flora and fauna – dolphins and puffins included – respectively; Luna though has decided to look for a mermaid.

All the family, especially Luna, get excited when dolphins appear as they cross to the island. Once there some misunderstandings become evident, what it says about puffins in their Galaxy Traveller being one. Puffins do not puff, rather as the Graces and we readers learn, they make a purring sound. Another is that mermaids use empty mermaid’s purses to keep their coins in.

After lunch, when ‘pesky gulls’ make themselves a big nuisance, Luna has to wait for her swim and passes the time crafting a sand mermaid but at last she and Dad are ready – Dad to make notes on the shore, Luna to look for a mermaid in the sea. Some time later Luna hears a terrified squeak; a little dolphin is caught up in a rope. It’s an emergency so she decides to take matters in her own hands. Can she, with Twizzle’s help, rescue the creature before the tide is too far out and the boat is stuck in the harbour mud? And seeing a mermaid? What do you think?

This story is a delightful combination of words and pictures that together show much about Luna’s family and their relationships, mixing in gentle humour and a little risk-taking. With pops of colour in the illustrations and no spread without a picture, it’s just right for new solo readers.