The Sea Fairies

The Sea Fairies
Trot, is a little girl who lives on the coast of southern California. Her father is the captain of a sailing schooner, and her constant companion is Cap'n Bill Weedles, a retired sailor with a wooden leg. Trot and Cap'n Bill spend many of their days roaming the beaches near home, or rowing and sailing along the coast. One day, Trot wishes that she could see a mermaid; her wish is overheard, and granted the next day. The mermaids explain to Trot, and the distressed Cap'n Bill, that they are benevolent fairies; when they offer Trot a chance to pay a visit to their land in mermaid form, Trot is enthusiastic, and Bill is too loyal to let her go off without him.
Customer Review: Adventure shared with your best friend
This book was written establishing relationships between a curious girl and a family friend. They set off on a day trip that becomes a journey of good and evil. There are surprises of all types. New friends are made throughout the ocean and some lost contacts are found. I do recommend this book. I do see an element of the Wizard of the underwater OZ.
Customer Review: Suffers only in comparison to Oz
It's Not Oz L Frank Baum is perhaps one of the finest children's authors ever to have lived with his WIZARD OF OZ series occupying an honored place in the canon of juvenile literature. He wrote other books as well, though, and THE SEA FAIRIES is one of these. It has no connection at all to the OZ stories in its original issue. Oz fans will recognize, however, the two main characters of Trot and Capt. Bill. This book was their fist literary appearance. Later on, they were integrated into the Oz milieu. This story, I am sorry to say, is not one of Baum's best efforts. That being said, he sets such a high standard that this one is still pretty good. It is just not as good as his Oz books. The story seems a bit more simplistic but it still shows his love of wordplay and vivid imagination. The plot is a simple one. Trot and Capt. Bill are taken by mermaids for a visit to their magical, undersea kingdom. They go not as prisoners but as honored guests. While there, they are temporarily given the tails of mer-beings to allow them to get around easier. They tour the realms of the Mermaid Queen and see some of the queer inhabitants of her domain. While on the way to visit her overlord, however, they are abducted by an evil wizard and must devote their energies to staying alive until they are either rescued or find a way to escape. It is a good and uplifting story. It suffers only in comparison to Oz.