Shark Girl

Human from the shoulders up, blue-haired, blue-skinned Shark Girl sports a shark’s powerful, finned body as well as her own sense of agency, autonomy, and justice. She vows revenge after escaping from the net of a greedy sea captain who doesn’t care about fishing’s bycatch effects. With the help of a sea witch (“They live for drama”), Shark Girl takes the form of a human sailor and joins the ship’s crew, planning to foment mutiny. Her fellow sailors find her odd at first—she sleeps with her eyes open and has a voracious appetite, with table manners to match—but her fish-sensing skills soon make her a valued member of the team. When the captain holds her captive for her prowess, a crew rescue results in a shark-style coup de grâce to her nemesis. Shark Girl hadn’t thought too highly of humans, but she leaves the crew knowing they’ll do the right thing: “They still fish, but they never overfish, and they only catch what humans will eat.” Though the story’s pacing occasionally flounders, exuberant cartooning from Beaton (King Baby) keeps this cheeky “Little Mermaid” variation swimming to a fish-friendly finale. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 3–6. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company. (Feb.)