Can You Catch a Mermaid? of Ray, Jane New Edition on 26 June 2003

by Jane E. Ray

Have you ever seen a mermaid? Eliza has! And this is the story of how she and a little mermaid become the most inseparable of friends.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Mermaids, Friendship

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Born in London, Jane studied art and design at Middlesex University. Her main study was ceramics and she didn't start to illustrate until she left college. Her first published work was a series of greetings cards for Roger la Borde, followed by some book jackets, and eventually black and white illustrations for a poetry anthology with Orchard Books.

Reviews

[Alice Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book about a lonely girl who longs to meet a mermaid. One day she spots another girl like her sitting by herself on the beach and is drawn to her. The girls care for each other and search to find mermaid Freya’s lost mirror, as without it she cannot return to the sea.

I love the glittery illustrations as they bring out the magic and wonder in the story. The sea features throughout the book, almost appearing to spill out over each page, sometimes drowning the words to highlight how the ocean can be mysterious; especially to young children. There are also moments where the Eliza’s village is visible above the ocean, almost blending the two words together and we would talk about how it could represent how Freya is wishing she was back in her underwater home.

The author uses italics to distinguish between the narrator and Freya’s speech, which is more rhythmic and song-like. Ray also plays with the position of the text to connect it with the pictures. For example, it is swirled in a circle over a picture of a spiralling wave.

I would use the book with a KS1 class who enjoy fantasy stories. We could use hot-seating or a conscience alley to investigate how Eliza might feel when she hides the mirror from Freya because she wants her to stay. This would start a discussion about friendship issues, the feeling of loneliness because Eliza only has her father and keeping secrets from others.

We would create watercolour pictures inspired by the book’s illustrations and write poems about seeing a mermaid for the first time. To further engage the class in the text I would create an underwater-themed reading environment with lots of fish, coral and cool blue/green-tones like in the text. This would show the calmness of the sea and why Freya feels at peace there.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Can You Catch a Mermaid?’ is a magical and dreamy book. It is beautifully illustrated enriched with deep blues, turquoise and glitter throughout the pages creating an immersive feel of being in the sea.
The story is about a little girl, named Eliza, who is scared of playing with other children and hopes her father will fish her a mermaid. One day Eliza meets a mermaid, named Freya, who has lost her mirror that allows her to return to the ocean.
The overall story of the book is based on loneliness and friendship. On one of the pages, you can see Eliza looking in Freya’s mirror while Freya is out on the beach searching for it in order to get back to her mother. Eliza desperately wants to have a friend and does not want Freya to have her mirror back. It is a wonderful story of doing what is right and the overall power of love. At the end, it is left on a very ambiguous and thought-provoking note - a great discussion point!
The text fits well with the story with the words swirling around the whirlpool in the sea or shaped like sound waves when you hear the mermaid singing through the shell. The pictures and text feel like a process as there is a clear relationship between them. As a result, the book is enticing, you can find hidden things and try to predict what is going to happen next. It’s great for stimulating imagination and creativity.
While it is a text heavy book for young children, the language is highly descriptive and flows well. The active participation of the children reading or listening to the book would develop their vocabulary and cause interesting discussions on the meaning of certain words and the feelings of certain characters. I can see this being an engaging book to use in Key Stage 1 classes that could be used in a variety of ways.

[Annie Kennedy]

This is a magical and beautifully illustrated book. It is about a little girl who is scared of playing with other children and waits for her father (a fisherman) to come home in the hope he will bring a mermaid back to her. One day she comes across a mermaid who gives her a shell that sings to her. Eliza takes her mirror that allows her to return to the ocean. She finally gives it back to her so she can go back to the ocean and encourages her to play with other children. The book is about friendship and the gift of giving. I love how the book is left on a thought as to whether or not the mermaid was real or just her reflection (a good discussion point). This would be great to use in english where the children could write descriptive pieces of writing on what the mermaids home is like in the 'magical sea.' I also really enjoyed how the words were sometimes curved like the waves which really added to the imagination.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Language /narrative

The text is full of descriptive language to convey the illustrations. The narrative is simple and interesting and therefore children may relate to the story. The text flows well and the text is set out with shapes representing themes in the book such as wave and a whirpool.

How is the story told?

Can You Catch a Mermaid? -At the beginning the story questions the reader asking them if they have seen a mermaid. Before the story begins it tells the reader about what is going to happen in the book. The story itself could be told as a tale.

How do the words and the pictures work together?

The words and pictures work together because the text links to the picture. For example, when the text talks about the terrible storm they illustrations show the effects of the storm; the swirling and crashing of the waves against the harbour. The texts talks about the seaside, the illustrations clearly show the reader what the text is describing.

What experiences of the world does then reader need to bring to the text?

In the story there are lots of themes of friendship and love, so the reader would need to bring these experiences to understand the powerful message of the relationship between the two girls, Eliza and her father tom and Freya and her mother. The book is full of seaside pictures, so the reader could bring their experiences of the beach to the story. The teacher could discuss with the children what they found on the beach and then link their experiences to the text.

What techniques can be seen in the pictures?

The beautifully drawn pictures are illustrated with deep blues, turquoise and purple, I think they help the reader to understand the key moments in the book and help the reader to visualise what the seaside may be like if they have never been to the seaside before.



Are there any patterns in the story?

The pictures show a pattern, as the book is illustrated with deep blues and turquoise colours to signify the sand and the sea. The illustrations have patterns because the mermaid is drawn with flowing hair and deep blue colours to signify the ocean.

Would this be a good book to read aloud to the class or would it be good for Shared or guided reading?

It could be a good read aloud to the class because it is full of questions that may encourage children to think. The text would be good for guided reading because a variety of events happen in the book. Therefore, the teacher could question the children about certain points in the story that may be important and the children may then start to develop their language comprehension skills. The text may also be good for shared reading, children could discuss the illustrations in the book and answer the questions that the book asks.

Does the text provide a good model for writing?

The text does provide a good model for writing as it is an unusual tale filled with variety of texts such as speech and clear punctuation; full stops, speech marks, question marks. Therefore, when children write they can use the different types of t




The moral of the story is about how friendship and love can be powerful. Eliza struggled to make friends and having her mermaid friend Freya helped her to learn how to play with other children by dancing, singing and being creative with the nature on the beach. Eliza realises that she need her special friend Freya to feel love but she soon realises that her friend needs to be back in the ocean where she belongs with her family that she loves just like Eliza and her father love each other.

I would recommend the story because it gives an important message of love. I also think the illustrations in the book are important as they help signify the key moments in the book, the illustrations are also help the reader to think of and visualise the important moments and characters in the book.

[Nafisah Khalil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl and her dad living by the ocean and the girl, Eliza, want to meet a mermaid. One day she met a girl, Freya, on the beach and they played everyday. Until Freya lost her mirror she had around her neck. This is when Eliza realised that Freya is a mermaid and cannot return home without her mirror as mermaids need something from their home to change their legs back to a tail. All day they looked for the mirror but to no avail could they find it, so Freya had to stay with Eliza until they did. Eliza, after a few days, found the mirror but didn't want to tell Freya, as she didn't want to lose her friend. However, Freya was getting ill as she kept searching for her mirror. One day Eliza felt so guilty so when Freya was asleep she placed that mirror in her hand. In the morning Freya had left. But from that day onwards Eliza's dad, who was a fisherman had lots of fish in his net and sometimes when Eliza was out in the oceans she thinks she can see Freya smiling back at her.
I loved this books for its detailed illustrations and hooking story. I believe the illustrations are drawn in a way that it pops out of the page with all the glitter. Children will love this book.
I didn't like how Eliza hid the mirror once she found it, as Freya really wanted to go home but couldn't. It was unfair on Freya as she was getting more ill the longer she searched for the mirror.
This book can be used in the classroom to show children that you should not take or hid anything you have found and it can be important to someone else.

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that I loved as a child and would want to include in my ks1 library. This book teaches valuable lessons about doing what is right and also that you are not alone. It is about a lonely girl who wishes to meet a mermaid. She sees another girl sitting by herself on the beach and is drawn to her. The girls care for each other and search to find mermaid Freya’s lost mirror, as without it she cannot return to the sea. The little girl finds the mirror but does not want to return it because that means her new friend will leave her and go back to the sea. Eventually she does the right thing and returns the mirror but she is left with the shell her new friend gave her and she is reminded she will always have a friend in Freya.
The images in this book are unusual and beautiful, and this book can be used in many different ways. One of the ways it can be used is in pshe lessons to teach morals. It can also be used in art or in English where the story can be further explored through drawings or stories.
Beautiful book with a lovely message.

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful story stems from a Scottish legend about a mermaid and a fisherman. The illustrations are engaging to look at, because since this story takes place by the water, the stories swirl around as well, and are very colorful.

A mermaid can come ashore as long as she keeps hold of something from her ocean home. Then she can return to the water.

This story is about Eliza and Tom, her dad, who is a fisherman. Eliza was shy and played by the shore most days. Then she met Freya, who taught Eliza to dance and sing. And then.....

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eliza lives near the sea with her fisherman father. She prefers to play alone on the beach. One day she meets the mysterious Freya. Soon Eliza realizes she’s a mermaid. One day Freya loses her special mirror and can’t go home to the sea. Eliza has a secret. Will Freya ever get to return home? This beautifully illustrated tale of friendship will have you looking near the sea for your own mermaid friend. Highly recommended.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much text in this book. A picture book for a child shouldn't be this text heavy.

[Jaimie Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two children spy a mermaid and set out to try and capture her. The mermaid though, she's a clever one and avoids them each and every time. Then the children find themselves in danger.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quite charming picture book with luscious illustrations about a young girl who's father is a fisherman. She asks him every day will he catch her a mermaid, and then one day she meets a mermaid on the beach.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a gorgeous book in every sense - detailed, magical, glittering illustrations from the very talented Jane Ray and a lilting, sing-song text that sounds like the song of the sea throughout. A beautiful, melancholy and comforting story about love, loss, friendship and the magic of the sea.

[Fraemone · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked this book (as an adult). was so heartfelt and beautifully drawn and told...

[H. Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles of Han Storm Book Club Read (Children's Fantasy)

Well written and a favourite with my daughter, even though it has a sad(ish) ending.

[Sophie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. It had such a strong message and the illustrations were so beautiful. Highly recommended for anyone of any age.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story with some of the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen.