The Little Mermaid

by Rachel Isadora

The little mermaid grows up longing to visit the world above the waves. When she is finally old enough to travel to the surface of the sea, her life is changed forever. She rescues a young prince from a shipwreck and, out of love, risks all she has for the chance to win his heart.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Mermaids, Folklore

Library Binding

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Rachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.

Reviews

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the Disney version.

[Chelsea Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: This fairytale is a wonderful story about a young mermaid who is in search of finding love. The illustrations are extremely eye catching. And the story offers a different, and semi-dark twist on the well known fantasy. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and its beautiful illustrations.

Content Areas:
This book has much longer sections and paragraphs that you often do not see in childrens books. So, I would most likely use this specific book for expanding on reading. I think this would be a useful storybook to use when trying to encourage students to transition to chapter books. It also uses some vocabulary that students might not be familiar with, so I would have students choose five words they do not know the meaning of and have them look up the definition in a dictionary.

Comprehension:
Q: How do you think the Little Mermaid felt when she knew she would be turning into sea foam the next day? Why?
A: Probably hopeless and very scared. She tried her best, but without a voice she wasn't able to communicate to the prince that she was the one that actually saved him from drowning.

Q: Why do you think the Little Mermaid decided not to stab the prince in the heart, even though she knew it would save herself?
A: Because she loved him and would rather sacrifice herself if that meant he would live and be happy.

Wonders:
1. Why didn't she write to him to inform him of who she was?
2. Since her father was king, why didn't he use his powers to save her?
3. If the other mermaids were permitted to go to land at 15, why did she have to go to the witch?

[Jecenia Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Folktale/Fairytale- Motif: Sacrifice

Isadora, Rachel. The Little Mermaid. G.P. Putman & Sons, 1998. Isadora retells the famed folktale/fairytale, The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, with a twist to the ending. The little mermaid dreams of a life on land with a prince she rescued out of the sea. Determined to be with her true love she strikes a deal with the sea witch to turn her tail into legs- with a horrible price. The little mermaid willingly pays the price for the chance of being with her one true love and an immortal soul. She makes the ultimate sacrifice when she realizes her true love will marry another. In this retelling, Isadora gives the little mermaid a happier ending than the original. Isadora keeps more to the original tale by not muting the lengths that she goes to find love and gain a soul (pain and torture, and possible death). The illustrations are beautifully showcased with watercolors. Isadora uses blue and green hues to set the tone of the calm and peaceful sea. To foreshadow future events, she uses dark ominous colors and striking details like her take on the evil sea witch. The little mermaid is painted as a beautiful, yet haunting, fifteen-year-old. Isadora’s retelling stays true to the original motif of sacrificing oneself for the person you love. Ages 8-10, due to some of the vocabulary used, content, and partial nudity (parenting choice).

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot read the Interrupting Chicken books to my students without first building their background knowledge and I cannot rely on their exposure to the Disney classics to get the story across. For those of you who have read the original, you know what I mean when I say I was grateful for this edition when I needed to read the story to my youngest students. I really think that the original Little Mermaid is a YA book - not a primary read. Even so, there were parts where I had to elaborate and parts where I had to gloss over. In the end the students loved sharing how the movie was different and they were especially eager when they learned I had not ever seen the movie version.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rendition of "The Little Mermaid" is nothing like that of Walt Disney's. This tale, clothed in darkness, stirs up feelings of lament instead of joy. And yet, there is a beauty to this story that cannot be explained.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Traditional tale selection)

This picture book version of "The Little Mermaid" follows Hans Christian Andersen's version fairly closely (nothing to do with the Disney storyline!). With the original themes of yearning and sacrifice, it does not have a happy ending in the traditional sense. The short text appears on every other page, accompanied by full page watercolor renderings of the action. It is for these wonderful illustrations that I recommend using this book, most likely during a read-aloud. Just looking at the illustrations as you flip through the page is like walking through an art gallery. All in all a great version of the original story.

Note: The illustrations take liberties with nudity, although in a very tasteful way.

[Kayla Pollema · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little mermaid dreamed of having a soul and goes to great measure to find what she is looking for.

This original story captivated me with the differences that it had from every Little Mermaid story I had read. This story's main focus was to achieve a soul rather than turn into sea foam. I was surprised that the story was more gruesome then any children’s story I have read. For example the legs that the Little Mermaid walked on was like walking on knives, and the girl was asked to kill the man that she loved. As a child I could not have handled this book, I am glad that Disney and the other versions I have read did not keep to the original story.

[Caroline Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book for a long time sitting out simply because I like the cover. When I read it, I realized how gruesome this version of the Little Mermaid really is. Specifically, in order to get legs instead of a tail her tongue must be cut out and every time she walks it wil be "as knives slicing through her feet" which is not very child appropriate in my opinion. As a teacher I would not have this version in my classroom, but I still like the book. The pictures are very pretty and colorful, and I do like the theme of sacrificing yourself for love, however I think it is a little bit too much for younger children.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from the Disney version! The prince marries another girl and the little mermaid dies! Who knew the original from Hans Christian Anderson (which I believe this author follows pretty closely) could be so morbid? :) Good exposure--and just in time for us to see The Little Mermaid ballet--the classic version.

[Kristen Leininger]

Picture Book: I read this because I wanted to learn the true story of The Little Mermaid. It was extremely sad, and nothing like the movie. This poor mermaid doesn't get her prince in the end, and instead sacrifices herself.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually the first time I have read a non-disney version of The Little Mermaid. I have to say it was just gruesome enough and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the illustrations.

[Corrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite fairy tales. The illustrations here are just hauntingly, achingly beautiful.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a shortened version of Andersen's original fairy tale. The text captures the highlights and is beautifully enhanced by watery illustrations.