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Table of Contents
About The Book
Pearl needs her merfriends’ help when she’s named Winter Princess and finds out she’s going to be a big sister in this sparkling Mermaid Tales adventure.
Pearl is over the moon when she gets the fin-tastic news that she’s been picked to be the next Winter Princess! She can’t help gushing to Shelly, Kiki, and Echo about the beautiful dress she’ll get to wear and how all eyes will be on her when she makes her big speech at the Winter Festival. She can’t wait to tell her parents!
But her parents have some news of their own…Pearl is going to be a big sister! They’re adopting a baby boy, and he’ll be coming home with them right around the time of the Winter Festival. Suddenly, instead of glittering gowns and princess tiaras, Pearl has to talk about new cradles and baby toys. How can her new brother be stealing all of her parents’ attention before he’s even here?
Can Pearl convince her parents that a messy, noisy baby is the last thing they need? Or will she discover she’s more suited to being a big sister than she thought?
Pearl is over the moon when she gets the fin-tastic news that she’s been picked to be the next Winter Princess! She can’t help gushing to Shelly, Kiki, and Echo about the beautiful dress she’ll get to wear and how all eyes will be on her when she makes her big speech at the Winter Festival. She can’t wait to tell her parents!
But her parents have some news of their own…Pearl is going to be a big sister! They’re adopting a baby boy, and he’ll be coming home with them right around the time of the Winter Festival. Suddenly, instead of glittering gowns and princess tiaras, Pearl has to talk about new cradles and baby toys. How can her new brother be stealing all of her parents’ attention before he’s even here?
Can Pearl convince her parents that a messy, noisy baby is the last thing they need? Or will she discover she’s more suited to being a big sister than she thought?
Excerpt
Chapter 1: Great News?
1 Great News?
PEARL SWAMP COULDN’T believe her luck. Out of all the third graders at Trident Academy, her name had been drawn to be the princess at this year’s Winter Festival! If it had been a merboy, they would have had a winter prince. Every year Trident City celebrated the end of the coldest waters with a huge party at the People Museum. All the money raised went to help families in need.
Pearl had dreamed all her life of being the winter princess! It was the most exciting thing to ever happen to her. She would wear a fancy dress, give the welcome speech, and be the official ambassador for her school. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her parents.
Pearl zipped through MerPark, around a glass squid, and dashed inside the large pink shell she shared with her parents. “Mom!”
Her mother popped out of her home office and smiled. “Pearl! I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I have great news,” they both said at the same time.
Pearl was surprised. Did her mother already know?
“What’s your news?” her mother asked.
“You can go first,” Pearl said.
Her mother clapped her hands. “You are not going to believe it! You’re getting a baby brother!”
Pearl hadn’t expected that at all. She opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. Finally, she squeaked, “A baby?”
“Yes,” squealed her mother. “Isn’t it exciting? We’re adopting a little merboy.”
“A merboy?” Pearl muttered. “Why a merboy?”
Mrs. Swamp giggled like a young child. “Well, we already have a lovely daughter. Don’t you think a merboy will be nice?”
Pearl frowned. A baby mergirl might have been fun. She could have dressed it in frilly dresses and had tea parties. But she wasn’t so sure about a merboy.
“Does Daddy know about this?”
Her mother smiled. “Well, of course. This is something we’ve planned for a long time.”
Her parents had talked to her about adopting a baby, but that had been a while ago. Pearl thought they had forgotten about the whole thing. Why in the ocean did they want a baby? Wasn’t she enough for them?
“Pearl?”
Pearl wanted to stomp her gold fins and tell her parents to forget about a baby. But her mother looked so hopeful and happy, Pearl just couldn’t. Instead she fibbed, “I can’t wait.”
Her mother gave her a hug. “I’ve dreamed of giving our new baby a good home. Our family will be complete.”
Pearl thought it had been pretty perfect with just the three of them, but she didn’t say so.
“Oh, that reminds me,” her mother said. “I’m going to clean out the craft room for the baby’s bedroom.”
“What?” Pearl couldn’t believe her ears. Pearl and her mother loved their hobby room. It was filled with colorful shells, beads, and ribbons. They’d had many fin-tastic times making all sorts of fun creations. And now her mom was going to get rid of it all? “But where will we do our projects?”
“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Swamp said. “Most merpeople don’t have a craft room and they do just fine. It’s too bad that Anna is visiting her daughter this month. I could use her help.”
Pearl frowned. Losing her craft room did not sound fine at all. She wished Anna, their maid, wasn’t out of town too. Anna was more like a second mother to Pearl. And right now, Pearl really needed to talk to her.
Mrs. Swamp floated up their curving marble staircase. She disappeared around the corner before Pearl realized her mother had forgotten to ask about Pearl’s good news!
1 Great News?
PEARL SWAMP COULDN’T believe her luck. Out of all the third graders at Trident Academy, her name had been drawn to be the princess at this year’s Winter Festival! If it had been a merboy, they would have had a winter prince. Every year Trident City celebrated the end of the coldest waters with a huge party at the People Museum. All the money raised went to help families in need.
Pearl had dreamed all her life of being the winter princess! It was the most exciting thing to ever happen to her. She would wear a fancy dress, give the welcome speech, and be the official ambassador for her school. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her parents.
Pearl zipped through MerPark, around a glass squid, and dashed inside the large pink shell she shared with her parents. “Mom!”
Her mother popped out of her home office and smiled. “Pearl! I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I have great news,” they both said at the same time.
Pearl was surprised. Did her mother already know?
“What’s your news?” her mother asked.
“You can go first,” Pearl said.
Her mother clapped her hands. “You are not going to believe it! You’re getting a baby brother!”
Pearl hadn’t expected that at all. She opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. Finally, she squeaked, “A baby?”
“Yes,” squealed her mother. “Isn’t it exciting? We’re adopting a little merboy.”
“A merboy?” Pearl muttered. “Why a merboy?”
Mrs. Swamp giggled like a young child. “Well, we already have a lovely daughter. Don’t you think a merboy will be nice?”
Pearl frowned. A baby mergirl might have been fun. She could have dressed it in frilly dresses and had tea parties. But she wasn’t so sure about a merboy.
“Does Daddy know about this?”
Her mother smiled. “Well, of course. This is something we’ve planned for a long time.”
Her parents had talked to her about adopting a baby, but that had been a while ago. Pearl thought they had forgotten about the whole thing. Why in the ocean did they want a baby? Wasn’t she enough for them?
“Pearl?”
Pearl wanted to stomp her gold fins and tell her parents to forget about a baby. But her mother looked so hopeful and happy, Pearl just couldn’t. Instead she fibbed, “I can’t wait.”
Her mother gave her a hug. “I’ve dreamed of giving our new baby a good home. Our family will be complete.”
Pearl thought it had been pretty perfect with just the three of them, but she didn’t say so.
“Oh, that reminds me,” her mother said. “I’m going to clean out the craft room for the baby’s bedroom.”
“What?” Pearl couldn’t believe her ears. Pearl and her mother loved their hobby room. It was filled with colorful shells, beads, and ribbons. They’d had many fin-tastic times making all sorts of fun creations. And now her mom was going to get rid of it all? “But where will we do our projects?”
“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Swamp said. “Most merpeople don’t have a craft room and they do just fine. It’s too bad that Anna is visiting her daughter this month. I could use her help.”
Pearl frowned. Losing her craft room did not sound fine at all. She wished Anna, their maid, wasn’t out of town too. Anna was more like a second mother to Pearl. And right now, Pearl really needed to talk to her.
Mrs. Swamp floated up their curving marble staircase. She disappeared around the corner before Pearl realized her mother had forgotten to ask about Pearl’s good news!
About The Author
Debbie Dadey
Debbie Dadey is an award-winning children’s book author who has written more than 150 books. She is best known for her series The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, written with Marcia Thornton Jones. Debbie lives with her husband, her children, and three dogs in Sevierville, Tennessee.
About The Illustrator
Tatevik Avakyan has illustrated many books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series.
Product Details
- Publisher: Aladdin (August 1, 2020)
- Length: 112 pages
- ISBN13: 9781481487184
- Ages: 6 - 9
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Awards and Honors
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Intermediate Title
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Winter Princess Hardcover 9781481487184
- Author Photo (jpg): Debbie Dadey Debbie Dadey(0.1 MB)
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