Minnie Pearl and the Undersea Bazaar

A charming picture book about a brave and resourceful mermaid.

Minnie Pearl's parents own the Undersea Bazaar - where all fashionable mermaids go to shop. But when Manta Rae moves in next door and sets up her own Marine Emporium, the Undersea Bazaar is in jeopardy. How can Minnie save her parents' business? The answer puts all her courage and resourcefulness to the test.

Says Natalie Jane Prior "This book was just a dream to do. I've been fortunate enough to work with many great illustrators, but Cheryl Orsini and I are so much on the same wavelength that it was sometimes almost as if the book was produced by the one person. Cheryl has a tremendous eye for the sort of little details I love, and we had a lot of fun with the 'Undersea Bazaar' - I just adore the idea of the mermaids going shopping. Howeve, the book also has a darker side. Too often, we buy things with little intrinsic value, simply because other people tell us they are what we should have, rather than because we actually need them".

"The failure of the Pearl's family business was inspired by a childhood experience of my own. Like Minnie, I vividly recall lying awake as a small child, listening to my parents in the adjacent bedroom agonising over a business in crisis. In the story, Minnie gives h er mother and father the help I would have liked to be able to offer in real life."

About the Author:
Natalie Jane Prior is an award-winning and enormously popular author. Her books have been published all over the world. She is the author of the internationally successful 'Lily Quench' series. She lives in Brisbane.

About the illustrator:
Cheryl Orsini is a full-time illustrator and designer, whose work has graced both book covers and bottles of olive oil. She lives in Sydney.

Minnie Pearl and the Undersea Bazaar
ABC Books
Author: Natalie Jane Prior
IIIustrator: Cheryl Orsini
ISBN: 9780733320149
RRP: $27.95


Review: Minnie Pearl is enchanting, what young child doesn't dream about what life would be like as a mermaid. Natalie & Cheryl bring to life a vivid and charming story that young girls will adore.