Aqualicious: A Picture Book About Ocean Fun, Mermaids, and Siblings for Kids

Pinkalicious

by Victoria Kann

Fun in the sun becomes an aqualicious adventure when Pinkalicious meets a miniature mermaid in #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Kann's popular picture book starring Pinkalicious. Pinkalicious and her family go on a trip to the beach for a day of sun, fun, and sand castles! The day gets even more exciting when Pinkalicious finds a mini-mermaid named Aqua while she's collecting shells. Aqua wants to find her way home, and Pinkalicious and Peter decide to help—after they show her all of the pinkamazing things to do at the seashore!  Pinkalicious stars in five picture books— Pinkalicious , Goldilicious , Silverlicious , Emeraldalicious , and Aqualicious —as well as I Can Reads, doodle books, and more.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mermaids, Storytime, Fiction, Fantasy, Kids

40 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2015

About the author

Victoria Kann is the award-winning illustrator and author of the picture book series featuring the whimsical and effervescent character Pinkalicious. Victoria coauthored and illustrated the first two books, Pinkalicious and Purplicious. In addition, she cowrote Pinkalicious: The Musical and wrote and illustrated the #1 New York Times bestsellers Goldilicious and Silverlicious. Currently she is working on several more books about the adventures and antics of Pinkalicious. You can visit her online at www.thinkpinkalicious.com.

Reviews

[John Kropewnicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not appropriate for any age or gender. The messages/lessons in this book are harmful to growing young minds.




[spoilers]

This book is nuts.
The mini mermaid is dragged unwillingly by an oblivious pinkelicious. And very creepily the mermaid is constantly pleeding for freedom. At the end P. steals a boat and drops the mermaid into a shark filled lagoon. The mermaid begs to be saved and put in her "true" home. Which surprise, surprise is an aquarium aka mermaid/fish prison.


horrible messages in this book.
#1 it is ok to kidnap people against their will.
#2 you don't need to listen to people. No doesn't mean no.
#3 slaves are happiest in their prison.
#4 it is ok to stare and leer at females in glass boxes.

[Abigail · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Pinkalicious finds a merminnie - a species of miniature mermaid - at the beach, she presses the lost sea creature to spend the day with her, deaf to her continual pleas to be returned to her home. Pinkalicious and her brother Peter drag Aqua (the merminnie) around all day, building her a sand castle, taking her to lunch, and to play miniature golf. Then they finally return her to the sea, only to discover that her "home" is the local aquarium/museum...

The sixth and thus far final picture-book to feature the adventures of Pinkalicious, Aqualicious is notable (much like its predecessors) for its poorly written and poorly thought out story, its flat and uninspiring illustrations, and its obnoxious heroine. I didn't think that the bad behavior modeled by the heroine in Silverlicious , in which she spits out the treats left for her by various magical gift-givers, demanding something different and better, could be topped, but she was actually even worse here. I have a colleague who sarcastically described this book as a kidnapping/hostage story, and he's not too far off. I'm glad to be done with these picture-books, which I was reading for a work-related project, and which I decidedly do not recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Pinkalicious book I've read and I have to say I'm not impressed. The illustrations were super cute and the story was going along well until I realized that Pinkalicious and her brother were dragging around this mini mermaid (even though she kept telling them she wanted to go home) unsupervised while their parents just slept on the beach! WTH??? Yes, eventually, they took the mini mermaid home (although that was disturbing, too but I won't spoil it), but the whole thing just left a nasty taste in my mouth. Ugh. They basically kidnapped the mermaid and ran around the beach and boardwalk (including running off to a lighthouse and to play mini golf) while mom and dad napped and the mermaid kept asking them to take her home. Not okay. 2 stars instead of just 1 because the illustrations are impressive. Needless to say, I won't be using this one in my story times or recommending it to patrons.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pinkalicious and her family go to the beach for a summer vacation. While there, Pinkalicious meets a merminnie (a mini mermaid) and brings her along for a day of fun before returning her to her home at a museum near the beach.

A strange story overall, especially considering that Pinkalicious kind of drags the merminnie through the day as she (the merminnie) often has issues with the activities Pinkalicious chooses and the fact that she (Pinkalicious) only half listens to what anybody asks of her.

I'm all for more mermaid books, but this story was not quite what I was looking for. The museum the merminnie lived in felt a little like a sideshow (freakshow-ish) museum.

I think fans will still enjoy this title and readers who don't like Pinkalicious will find even more to dislike about her and this series. PreK-2.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this one was terrible. The little girl is a huge brat and the mermaid is annoying. I haven't read the Pinkalicious books so I don't know if this is normal for the series or not. This is not one I would want my kids reading. Pinkalicious' personality reminded me of Caillou and that's never a good thing. :(

[Villain E · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pacing is weird and I'm not sure of the point. Pinkalicious finds a merminnie, which is a small mermaid, named Aqua and, even though Aqua can clearly think and speak for herself, Pink and her brother treat Aqua more like a pet or a toy. At first it seems like the story is going to be about the kids not listening, but after awhile they just calm down and finally listen to Aqua without actually learning a lesson.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is time for these 'licious books to stop already.

[kezzie ʚ♡ɞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✩ 3.75 stars

[Carolyn, Ur Local Carrot Stick · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

[Galen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, the entire book the mermaid is like… please, please put me back and the kids are like lol no here play in this sand castle. Parents also snoozing on the job.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect to like this, but I did. I just happened to read a Little Mermaid book just before reading this one. This is definitely not that. It's almost a mix between Aquamarine and a Little Mermaid book, but definitely has a "Pinkalicious" twist.

[Mary Mccallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I have so much fun with this series! Now my older daughter gets to read these to get little sister and share her childhood memories of these imagination filled stories.

[Maggie Ollmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal response-
I think this is a good book for little girls. My little sister loved this book when I read it to her, she wanted me to read the book again. I thought this was a good book to read to my little sister Nora.

Plot-
This is the story of Pinkalicious and her family going to the beach. When Pinkalicious is picking sea shells, she finds one with a merminnie inside of it. She spends lots of time with her. She learned that the mermiinie’s name is Aqua. She shows her brother Peter the merminnie Aqua. When Aqua wants to surf with Pinkalious it made Peter, want to go get mom and dad, they decided to stop surfing. When Aqua wants to go home, Pinkalicious learns she is from an aquarium.

Nora’s thoughts on the story-
She thought it was a cool book. Nora would like to find a shell like the girl did in the book. She enjoyed the book and wants to read the story again.

Characterization-
Pinkalicious
She is s little girl who went on a beach trip with her family. When she was on the beach she found a shell that had a merminnie inside of it. She had lots of fun with her brother on the beach.

Peter
He is Pinkalicious’s brother, When she was doing things with Aqua it made Peter worry. At the end of the day Peter had a good time with his sister at the beach.

Recommendation-
I would say that this is a great book for little girls to read. This is a good book for them to see anything is possible, and to use your imagination. This is a book little girls would enjoy reading with their mom or big sister.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

We've enjoyed the other books in this series to keep reading. This one is probably my least favorite so far. I thought the idea of the Merminni was cute. But the story line wasn't very good. Pinkalicious and her brother Peter were so self absorbed that they wouldn't listen to Aqua. We also didn't really learn anything about Mermaids - while I know they aren't real, it would have been nice to learn a little about what mythical mermaids do. And then I was disappointed that she lived in an aquarium to boot.

There wasn't much about this story that I enjoyed. The illustrations were nice... my daughter seemed to enjoy it enough, but she's only 2. She just liked the idea that there was a mermaid in the story. Since learning Ariel is a mermaid at Disneyland, she was excited about this book. I think it's why she grabbed it from the shelf at the library.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know these books are incredibly popular, but this one gets a hummmmmmm from me. Pinkalicious steals Aqua the merminnie from the beach and takes forever to get her home. Yes Aqua does have some fun adventures, but she has to ask way too many times to go home. It’s just a little off for me. I know it was not the author’s intention, but that is what I read into it.

[Cosette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Better content than last book I read in this series. However, there is a large inappropriate photo spread right smack dab in the center of the book. Seriously, folks, buy this book on tape or cd - not an ok picture. Best portrayal of Peter yet - need a book without his sister present.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Pinkalicious meets Aqualicious, a mini mermaid.

[Hailey Wolfe]

Pinkalicious and her family go on a trip to the beach for a day of sun, fun, and sand castles! The day gets even more exciting when Pinkalicious finds a mini-mermaid named Aqua while she's collecting shells. Aqua wants to find her way home, and Pinkalicious and Peter decide to help—after they show her all of the pinkamazing things to do at the seashore! 

Activity
Go around the room and share if anyone has been to the ocean. If so, where? In not, where would you want to go? Draw a picture of the ocean along with all the fish/creatures that live in there! What all do you know about the ocean!?

Citation
Kann, V. (2015) Aqualicious. New York Times. HaperCollins

[Emma Bates]

I thought this book was pretty interesting to say the least. Pinkalicious fins a mini mermaid named Aqualicious that got lost from her home. P and her brother take A to do all of the fun things they do as humans, although A is constantly wanting to go back to her home. Eventually, P and her brother take A back to the ocean but they are quick to find out that A is not from the ocean but is from an aquarium! P and her family go to watch A in the end. I liked the idea of this book but it came off a little bit creepy. Which is funny because I usually love Pinkilicious books! Good books for little girls though!

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Pinkalicuos books appear to be popular at my daughter's school. This is from the same series, though the title is changes slightly as it focuses on a merminnie (miniature mermaid) that Pinkalicious finds at the beach. Being a bigger story book instead of a learning to read installment, it does flush out the story a bit more. Overall, it's still very simple for small children. My daughter loved it, my son didn't pay any attention to it at all, and I didn't either love or hate it, so I rated it as okay for a children's book.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the sixth installment of the Pinkalicious series, Pinkalicious is at the beach and encounters a merminnie, or small mermaid, named Aqua. She and her brother show Aqua the fun things that can be done on the beach before helping her get home. I like the illustrations of this book, but the story is way too weird for me. There's the whole merminnie thing itself is very odd, but, in addition, the kids are left unattended at the beach because their parents fall asleep and then they act like its no big deal. I can see this book pleasing mermaid fans, but it's not for me.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story is just awful.
Pinkalicious finds a miniature mermaid that askes for her help to return to her home. Pinkalicious goes against her wishes and instead takes her to multiple places that she wants to go. Then finally they try to return her to the ocean, but the mermaid freaks out about being in the ocean because the mermaids actual home is in a sideshow aquarium.

This story is absolutely strange and conveys that you can disregard peoples requests for help in favor of your own agenda.

Hate it. zero stars if I could.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aqualicious (Audio)
by Victoria Kann
this is a great book for young children. Used in a 1st grade classroom to demonstrate the features of a fiction book. The story is a cute story about minimermaids and the connection she has with a set of children she meets on the beach. she teaches them about herself and who she is. with the characters of Pinkaliscious this is a great early reader for young children.

[Ava from Alaska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, I don't do many reviews, but I had to do a review or this. yeah, I know this is a children's book, but my language is VERY colorful.

This book is FUCKED up. Like damn, what the hell is wrong with Pinkalicious? The little mother fucker is literally a FUCKING PHYSCO PATH!!! Yep, she totally ignores the poor mermaid's cries and pleas!!! Like this book is seriously fucked up and it's a total piece of SHIT!

[Lindsey Lawntea · Rating 1 out of 5]

In this story, Pinkalicious goes to the beach and discovers a miniature mermaid. Well, I did it. I finally found a character I hate more than Caillou. Pinkalicious is the most annoying child ever. She doesn't listen or consider what others want, and she has temper tantrums when things don't go her way. I wouldn't dare show this to my goddaughters lest they think it's acceptable or "cute" to behave this way.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

genre: modern fantasy fiction
grade range: kindergarten-2nd grade
personal review: This book was super cute and fun to read. I love how in this book, there is another character that they add in rather than just Pinkalicious and her family. The idea of the "merminnie" is really creative and I think that students would really enjoy this story and all of the fun things about it! The pictures are really fun and add to the story.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Pinkalicious meets a miniature mermaid, the story turns unpredictable. Yep, right from the second page! Aqua the merminnie makes an excellent new friend for Pinkalicious, who tries to help her.

This kid-sized story has just enough adventure and suspense, topped off with what (under the circumstances) ought to count as a perfect ending.

Definitely another FIVE STAR creation by Victoria Kann!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I found the artwork to be lovely but in the story, I kept getting irritated at the children for not listening to Aqua and doing what they wanted to do instead - which was all wrong for Aqua. I wish there had been some sort of redemption with the children learning to be respectful of her and her needs, but that didn't happen.
Cute, but not one I will go out of my way to recommend.

[Paige Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Level: Pre-K - 3rd
I read this book series as a child, but do not remember reading this specific book. I forgot how much I loved reading these as a child! These books are so full of magical and fun stories I think young girls especially, would love reading them. The illustrations are so vibrant and really represent what the text says on each page. I highly recommend reading this book!

[Sarah Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're SO proud of you for reading "Aqualicious"! You learned something really important—when someone needs help to get home, we should listen carefully and help them right away. Just like Aqua the mermaid needed to go back to her special home, everyone has a place where they belong. Next time a friend needs help, remember to listen first and be kind. You're becoming such a wonderful reader and helper! We love you so much!