When her father successfully harpoons a manatee, leaving its baby orphaned, Manuela vows to rescue the calf and return it to the river, helping change the attitudes of the people in her village in the process.
Lola the manatee needs her eyeglasses to search the ocean floor for treasures for her store, so when she loses them she is frantic--will she find her glasses again?
A boy imagines that he is a manatee, sprinkling seaweed on his raisin bran-atee and dignifying his watery domain with his wit, sophistication, and urbanity.