Mermaids On Parade

The Mermaid Parade, a summer solstice ritual to open the beach season at Coney Island, started in 1983 as the revival of an older festival. Greenberg paints detailed—and accurate—layouts of the neighborhood, complete with shops, arcades, the F train to Coney Island, Astroland, and diverse people decked out in their sea-creature finery. She lavishes each joyful spread with upbeat colors and patterns. Skies echo the changing blue tints of the ocean. The minimal story line—a young girl narrat...