Review By: Mary Potter
Published: 2021
Genres: Picture Book, Fiction, Fantasy, Children’s Literature
Audience: K–2, Elementary
Goodreads Link: Lola: The Bracelet of Courage
Content Warnings: none
Publisher’s Summary
Lola the mermaid seems so brave and courageous… but she was not always that way. She used to feel timid and out of place, so her dad gave her a special gift: a bracelet of courage.
One day while out on an adventure, Lola loses her bracelet. As the tides start to turn, she must find a new way home. Without her bracelet, she feels scared and lonely, but with the help of a wise dolphin, some friendly sea urchins, and beautiful jellyfish, Lola finds her strength within. Lola: The Bracelet of Courage is a heartwarming children’s picture book written in lyrical rhyme that shares a great message about resilience and finding bravery.
Review
I love this children’s series! The illustrations are beautiful and the lessons are always so relevant to real issues children deal with. This rhyming, magical book introduces the reader to Lola, a young, adventurous, purple-haired mermaid who is always up for a quest under the sea. However, Lola was not always brave. She used to be very shy and felt out of place with her friend group. Her father, noticing her struggle, bought her a special shell and gold “bracelet of courage.” Wearing it made Lola’s anxiety disappear.
The story takes a turn when Lola loses the bracelet at the waterfall pools. Alone and without her “source” of bravery, Lola must navigate her way home. The ending teaches a valuable lesson about where courage really comes from. The major theme here is anxiety in young children, which is a topic increasingly relevant in today’s classrooms. This book serves as a wonderful tool to teach children how to look for the strength within themselves to overcome fear rather than relying on external objects.
The illustrations by Zuzana Svobodova are stunning; they are full of color and expression, making the characters seem to “pop” right off the page. Children will also love the vibrant friends Lola meets, like the wise dolphin and glowing jellyfish. As an added bonus, the authors include a “Fun Fact” section at the end with interesting trivia about mermaids and real sea life. This heartwarming story is a wonderful resource for helping little ones navigate tough situations.
