Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon

(Disney Fairies)

by
Lisa Papademetriou

illustrated by

The Disney Storybook Artists

Random House, April 2006, 112 pp.
ISBN: 0-7364-2375-3

Genre: Early Chapter
Subgenres: Disney / Fairies
Reviewed: 2/11/2007

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

In the Mermaid Lagoon . . .

Is the seaweed caught in a water current? Rani wondered. Or is this some strange underwater plant that can move by itself?

Rani swam over to take a closer look. She stared at the seaweed, then reached out to touch it. The moment she did, a long snout popped out and batted her hand away.

Rani darted backward. The leaves of seaweed parted to show a golden pink sea horse thrashing about. His eyes were wild as he looked at Rani. He was still for a moment, then shook back and forth, rearing his head and whipping his tail.

Rani moved a little closer to the sea horse, and he thrashed again. He clearly was afraid of her. Why doesn't he swim away? Rani wondered.

"What's the matter, sea horse?" Rani asked in the tone of a voice she had heard animal-talent fairies use when talking to a skittish animal. "Let me see," she said gently.

Rani felt a little nervous. If she had been in Pixie Hollow, she would have run for Beck or one of the other animal-talent fairies. Then again, Rani thought, I am a water-talent fairy, and this sea horse is a water animal. Maybe I can help.

Review

In Pixie Hollow, the secret heart of Never Land, Rani is the only fairy that does not have wings. She earlier cut them off saving Mother Dove's egg, and NeverLand in the process . . . but that is a story for another time. To get around, she sits on Brother Dove's back while he flies her wherever she wants to go. Being a water-talent fairy with no wings, she is the only fairy that can swim. But she misses her wings. Rani finds that she cannot help the other water-talent fairies like she used to be able to do when they are working on creating a beautiful fountain. When she does try to help this time, she falls off of Brother Dove's back and smashes in the fountain ruining it. The other fairies are upset with her. Feeling unloved and unwanted, Rani wanders into the forest and finds a small boat. Hopping in the boat, she decides to leave Pixie Hollow. After a water snake attacks her and she falls into the water, she finds herself rescued by several mermaids. The mermaids are quite fascinated by this small water-talent fairy. One of the mermaids has lost a ring and convinces Rani that she is the only one who can swim down the small hole and retrieve it. The hole looks scary and dark, but Rani decides to do it anyway. After all, these mermaids may be her new best friends.

Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon is another book in the Disney Fairies series and is written by Kirsten Larsen and illustrated by The Disney Storybook Artists. This series is intended for young readers aged 7 to 9.

Having previously worked for Disney twice, and having a daughter that is totally into fairies, I find myself enjoying all of the Disney Fairies books immensely. The illustrations in them are quite fantastic and the stories are fun and generally all have a hidden message. In this case, Rani runs away from her problems and does not face the head on, like she needs to do. She learns in the end that she should have stayed and worked out her problems and everything would have been just fine. Rani is an interesting character because she is the only fairy in Pixie Hollow without wings. Therefore, she is the only fairy that can swim and get wet. The mermaids are also interesting because the author plays them off as kind of ditzy. Maybe this is so with Never Land mermaids, because, as we all know, Ariel is a pretty smart mermaid. Overall, Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon is another great book in the Disney Fairies collection and I look forward to more adventures in Pixie Hollow.

I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.