MERMAID PICTURE BOOKS
The Mermaid and the Shoe By K.G. Campbell "Little mermaid Minnow is one of King Neptune's 50 daughters. Each princess is exceptionally talented, except for Minnow, whose only skill--and a dubious one at that, according to her brattiest sister, Calypso--is asking questions. When a kicky red pump drops into the sea, Minnow is naturally curious. She makes her way to the ocean's surface to investigate what the thing could be. What she discovers on land is 'an odd creature...half mermaid, but with two octopus legs... a landmaid' (i.e., little girl) ... Minnow swims home, excited to tell her family about her discovery. Though Calypso is unimpressed, everyone else--King Neptune included- -is riveted by what the kingdom's newfound storyteller-adventurer has to say. Campbell's tale is nicely contained . . . a little imagination and a lot of inquisitiveness allow her to journey beyond her natural realm (and without having to give up either her fins or her voice; take that, Ariel!)" (Horn Book Review)
The Little Mermaid Retold & illustrated by Jerry Pinkney "In this revised and slightly abridged version of [Hans Christian] Andersen's beloved story, Caldecott Medalist Pinkney has made some relevant changes for today's children. When Melody's father, the Sea King, warns her against leaving her elaborate undersea coral castle, her desire for adventure and exploration inspires her to swim to the ocean's shoreline where she meets Zion, a brown- skinned human girl who embraces her as a friend and soul mate. But Melody has sacrificed her voice to the evil Sea Witch in exchange for legs. When this bargain threatens not only Melody's family but the people living on land, Melody courageously returns to save both worlds, destroying the frightening red-tentacled monster. Triumphant, she finds her 'true voice--a voice that no Witch could imprison or silence.'" (BookList)
Mabel: A Mermaid Fable, by Rowboat Watkins "Mabel is a young mermaid who is mortified by her lack of a mustache. Everyone in her family has one, even her sisters and baby brother, but Mabel's upper lip is unbearably bare. Having grown tired of covering it with seashells and seaweed falsies, the mermaid takes to hiding in holes on the ocean floor. But one such hole also contains something with very large eyes. Happily, this turns out to be Lucky, a friendly, seven-armed octopus. Mabel and Lucky resurface together into a world awash in soft seafoam, salmon, and gold tones, where they help one another overcome their insecurities. ... [Watkins' book is] a treasure worth discovering." (Julia Smith Copyright 2020 Booklist) 2 MERMAID PICTURE BOOKS
Pearl, by Molly Idle
"A tiny mermaid who yearns for grown-up work patiently completes a task that transforms her world. For her fable about patience and perseverance, Idle has created stunning watery spreads full of curves reflecting the gently scalloped edges of the giant clam that is Pearl's home. ... Her ocean has breaking waves, softly colored coral reefs, "towering forests of kelp," and a giant but never threateningoctopus. The tiny grain of sand Pearl's mother gives her to care for seems insignificant in comparison, but with time, careful nurturing, and polishing, it grows and glows, finally taking its place in the night sky to light up her world. The lyrical text perfectly matches these stunning illustrations." (Kirkus Reviews)
Coral, by Molly Idle
"In this companion to "Pearl," Idle tells the tale of three mermaids - Coral, who creates the reef; Filly, who looks after the fish in the reef; and Manta, who raises the sharks and rays that eat the reef fish, keeping it in balance. The three live in harmony, each doing their part to keep the reef healthy, until one day Coral finds an empty hollow in the reef and decides that she wants to be alone and keep it to herself. When her friends find her there, in a flash of anger, she banishes them from her empty spot on the reef. Amid a now colorless, lifeless reef, Coral realizes her mistake and she sets out to make it right. The colorful illustrations are reminiscent of an animated, kid-friendly short film and will appeal to young readers."(School Library Journal)
The Mermaid, by Jan Brett
"In this dazzling remix, Brett ("Gingerbread Christmas") sets "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" under the sea. The bears turn into octopuses ... and Goldilocks becomes Kiniro, a mermaid with black hair and golden scales ("kin-iro" is Japanese for gold). A sweet twist at the outset imagines Otosan and Okosan (Japanese for father and mother) putting a new hat on Baby: "Baby did not like the floppy new hat. The hat was not happy, either." The hat is actually a ray, and although Kiniro ruins as many of the octopuses' possessions as Goldilocks does ("Someone has been crunching on my crustaceans"), she leaves Baby a much nicer piece of headwear. Brett's brightly colored, highly detailed art shines in this aquatic setting ... [her]fans will rejoice, and she'll make new ones, too." School Library Journal 3
MERMAID PICTURE BOOKS
Julian is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love
"On the subway with his abuela after swim class, Julián is enchanted by a group of stylish women in mermaid costumes on their way to a parade. Once home, Julián improvises a mermaid costume for himself out of curtains, a potted plant, and a vase of flowers. When Abuela sees the tiny havoc he wreaked in her living room, she doesn't scold him; rather, she embraces his enthusiasm, gives him the finishing touch for his costume, and takes him to the parade. Love's painted scenes glow against muted backgrounds, with saturated, opaque tones tracing the graceful shapes of the figures. ... The affectionate depiction of a broad range of body types and skin tones makes this particularly cheery." (Booklist)
Mermaid Dreams, by Kate Pugsley "Little Maya loves the beach, but her parents want to relax, so she is left to find a playmate or entertain herself. Too shy to say hi to the other kids having fun, Maya gets on her turtle floaty and closes her eyes. Next thing we know, brown-skinned, Afro-puffed Maya is "riding the waves on her turtle's back!" against a backdrop of multicolored clouds and pink sky. She and her turtle dive down to the ocean floor and discover "a secret underwater world!" There, Maya transforms into a blue-tailed mermaid. When she hears a voice calling a greeting, she swims after it. The voice is not coming from the large, yellow fish, the octopus, or the sea horses she finds. Finally, she finds another young mermaid, white, pigtailed, and yellow-finned, who says it's Maya's turn to hide, and they play. ... A cute and simple story about making friends." (Kirkus Reviews)
Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O'Connor
"Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree, couldn't be more excited about their upcoming dance show. After all, it's all about mermaids, and who knows how to be a fancy, glamorous mermaid better than Fancy Nancy herself? But when another ballerina wins the coveted role of the mermaid, Nancy is stuck playing a dreary, dull tree. Can Nancy bring fancy flair to her role, even though it isn't the one she wanted? And when disaster strikes right before the big ballet, who will step into the spotlight? Perfect for fans of the Eloise and Olivia books." (Publisher) 4 MERMAID PICTURE BOOKS
Sukey and the Mermaid by Robert D. Sans Souci "In a romantic folktale drawn from various African American traditions, a beautiful, brown-skinned, black-eyed mermaid saves a poor, unhappy girl. Sukey's step-pa's a bossy do-nothing man who drinks and works her too hard. When she cries for help, a mermaid hears her and takes her below the sea to a gentle place without time or pain. But Sukey longs to return to the world, even though hurt and hunger are never far away. In the neat ending, she gets all she wants: a loving husband, the mermaid's treasure, and her step-pa dead. San Souci's source note describes how he traced the rare tale of a black mermaid. His telling is vivid and immediate, casual and colloquial . . . . [Illustrator Brian Pinkney's] bold, deeply colored pictures swirl with rhythmic lines in figures and landscape, cabin and ocean." (Hazel Rochman, Booklist) The Little Mermaid translated by Naomi Lewis From Lewis's collection of "Tales of Hans Christian Andersen," with illustrations by Joel Stewart. Lewis introduces "The Little Mermaid" with "details older readers will relish, including first publication date, musings from Andersen about the writing of the tales, and the stories' place in fairy tale history. Stewart models his [illustrations] on the toy theatre so intrinsic to the author's childhood, and full-bleed, full-page dramatic paintings sit alongside whimsical spot illustrations that add flair to each page. . . . Collectors and fans of Andersen's work will not want to overlook this anthology." [Publishers Weekly]
Mermaid and Me, by Soosh
"Teased by her classmates for loving mermaids, a girl is thrilled to meet a young mermaid at the shore. Calling herself an 'underwater girl,' the mer-child takes Mermaid as her name. Soon the two girls are enjoying conversations and adventures together. Mermaid teaches the "aboveground girl" to swim, and together they rescue a turtle caught in some plastic. The girl attaches a barrel of water to her bicycle and takes Mermaid for a ride. After a storm, the girl finds Mermaid tangled in a net and, with help from her classmates, sets her free. . . . Though there's a little narrative tension at the beginning and near the end, this is primarily an idyllic tale, told in well-measured prose that's both down-to-earth and imaginative." (Booklist)