Long before Pixar dreamed up Finding Nemo, L. Frank Baum built his own enchanted ocean. The Sea Fairies introduces Trot, a girl whose curiosity is matched only by her courage, and Cap'n Bill, an old sailor whose tall tales become inconveniently, wonderfully true. One afternoon of mermaid-talk on the California coast leads to a boat trip, a magical summons, and a descent into a glittering underwater kingdom few humans have ever seen. Here, Trot and her companion meet an aristocratic codfish with refined manners, a bashful octopus with self-esteem issues, and dine at royal banquets. They also get captured by a sea monster, because even paradise has its dangers. Baum writes with the same inventive glee he brought to Oz, filling his submarine realm with personality and wonder. For readers who have ever wanted to breathe underwater and see what is waiting below the surface.
