Book Type: Children's literature
Author: Dana Meachen Rau Pages: 24 Summary(googlebooks): Mythical creatures are a big part of a child's world-they appear in legends told by family and friends, in books read during story time, and in movies and television. In for Real?, children at the independent level explore the real stories behind these mythical creatures and expand their reading skills. Children learn to read while discovering why legends about aliens, dragons, mermaids, monsters, and unicorns arose. They will also learn how to sort fact from fiction. My Review: As you can tell from the summary listed above, this book is aimed for children developing their reading skills. However, I was not disappointed with this book. I really like how Dana Meachen Rau lists the origin of the mermaid tale, what mermaids are known as around the world and famous explorers who thought they saw one. This book, although written in a juvenile style text, is great for someone who wants to know some basic facts about the mermaid legend. However, there weren't any pieces of art that are common in children's books, and this book didn't have any new facts that I didn't know (hey, I'm a mermaid fanatic! I know everything!). This book also has some websites and other mermaid/fantasy books listed in the back. Although I don't recommend this book for people who are looking for a well written mermaid book, this one is great for children who are learning how to read. I give this book (***) 3 stars. -Sirenita The Selkie