The true story of Annette Kellerman, a swimmer who fought to normalize functional swimwear for women. ( )

Mermaid Queen is an all-encompassing and colorful story about the life and accomplishments of Annette Kellerman, the first woman to swim the English Channel. I like that the book begins when she was a girl, before she started swimming, and showed us how she felt when she first got in the water. I also like how it doesn't stop at her most known accomplishment but continues to talk about how she pioneered women's swimsuits and advocated for women to be able to actually get in the water at the beach. This is a great book for young readers about female accomplishments. It is fun, eye-catching, and has lots of movement. ( )

Mermaid Queen is such a fun, colorful story about the life and accomplishments of Annette Kellerman. As a child she dreamed of becoming a ballerina but could barely walk. In hopes of strengthening her legs, Annette’s father taught her how to swim. She went on to become a champion for women athletes and challenged the societal standards for women in the early twentieth century.
I absolutely loved this book. I had never heard of Annette Kellerman before and now I’m so glad I have. She pushed so many boundaries for women by advocating for them to swim and creating what would eventually be considered the first modern bathing suit. While society in the early twentieth century was still very restrictive for women, Annette Kellerman challenged the ideas of what was considered proper. She could be a positive role-model for empowering young girls today.
I also loved the illustrations. They were alluring and vibrant and accompanied the tone of the text brilliantly. I especially loved the page illustrating the evolution of the swimsuit.
This book shows how one woman’s courage allowed her to make waves not only in the water but in society as well. ( )

This picture book biography tells the true story of Annette Kellerman, who was a professional swimmer at a time when female athletes were scarce. She also advocated for women's bathing suits to be more functional and less repressive.

I must admit that I learned a lot from this title. I may have heard of the name Annette Kellerman before, but her accomplishments didn't stick in my mind. Now, however, I will remember her and all her various roles -- water ballet inventor, bathing suit designer, advocate, and actor. The text of the main book is fairly simple, with only a few sentences per page, so that even young readers will stay attentive and interested. An author's note at the end provides a more detailed description of Kellerman's life.

The illustrations manage to suggest the freedom of the ocean, which is lovely. ( )

Because she grew up in a musical household, Annette always wanted to be a dancer. She dreamed of twirling and whirling around her dance floor like a ballerina her entire childhood. Because Annette had weak legs she walked on crutches but never gave up on her dream. To strengthen her legs her father put her in swimming lesson which introduced Annette to a new form of dancing. She pushed the bounderies and competed in swimming even though it caused turmoil at the time. Annette never stopped competing. She left her home country of Australia and move to England to show the world her water dancing skills. She made the world stop when she arrived in England and swam thirteen miles up the River Thames. That did not stop her from continuing to break the gender role and she even attempted to swim the English Channel. Although she did not succeed, Annette had made a name for her self and was traveling the world to perform in-front of royalty. Annette not only broke gender roles but also shattered gender equality in many aspects of her career. She continued to swim not only after she became the first female athlete, but also as she wore a revealing swimsuit, which became the ones in use today. I enjoyed this book, but I really wish the author would have gone into more detail. The reader never finds out what caused Annette to be on crutches, and never finds out more detail about her life outside swimming. ( )