Mabel: A Mermaid Fable

by Rowboat Watkins

Mabel isn't like the other mermaids. Lucky isn't like the other octopuses. But when they find each other, they discover that true friendship isn't about how you look, and that sometimes what we are searching for is right under our noses.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2020

About the author

Rowboat Watkins is mostly a dad who likes to tell stories and draw. Nobody knows why his wife started calling him Rowboat...but she does. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's official: Rowboat Watkins' books just aren't for me. Am I missing something? I always feel like I am. I don't find his work particularly funny or interesting. Often, it just seems like an absurd concept taken to an illogical conclusion.

In this case, we have Mabel, a mermaid who's embarrassed because she doesn't have a moustache. (All mermaids have moustaches, apparently. Even the babies.) So she spends a lot of time wearing fake ones and hiding out in various caves to get away from the creatures who call her a nudibranch. She meets a seven-legged octopus, and they become friends. Then she finds out what a nudibranch is, and the book ends.

I. Don't. Get. It.

Sure, Mabel makes a friend. Sure, Lucky realizes that he can do pretty much anything, even with only seven legs. But the resolution--when Mabel realizes that everything she ever needed was right under her nose--is too vague to be meaningful. She finds out that nudibranchs are sea slugs, and this suddenly makes her lack of moustache okay. I'm afraid I'm not following that line of thought.

Kids might like the absurdity of moustachioed mermaids, but I'm not a fan. The pictures are cute. They don't really make up for the rest of the nonsense, though.

[Cheyenne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story doesn't make sense.

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my toddler’s bedtime. This book reminds me of The Ugly Duckling, Red Nose Reindeer, Oddbird…

Read from kindle unlimited

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mabel is terrified because she doesn't have a mustache. She is embarrassed. She decides its easier to hide away when she meets a 7-legged Octopus named Lucky.

The identity, friendship and fun created out of our differences is fantastic and light-hearted in its message and delivery.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel is a little different, and she doesn't feel like she belongs. And then she met Lucky who felt exactly the same way. And somehow becoming friends helped them accept their differences as positives.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was weird about Mabel wasn't her mustache...

If you haven't yet experienced a Rowboat Watkins picture book, I heartily recommend you give the creator's books a whirl. A 2010 recipient of the Sendak Fellowship, Watkins arrived on the picture book scene with the well-received (and funny!) Rude Cakes, followed by titles like Pete With No Pants, and Most Marshmallows (I hope to talk about this one in the near future!). As well as looking into the creator's past works, I encourage you to get ready to welcome the overwhelmingly lovely and sublimely bonkers Mabel: A Mermaid Fable.

Mabel tried hiding her nose behind jaunty shells
and by wearing seaweed falsies,
but this only made her feel like a clown.

Mabel is an adorable mermaid with tufted hair who lives in the ocean with her mom, dad, two big sisters, and baby brother. It may appear like a busy yet lovely watery life, but there is a major problem- at least in Mabel's eyes: she does not have a mustache! Everyone in her family has one- "even her baby brother [has] a tiny baby mustache"! But Mabel, for whatever reason, does not and that makes her feel lacking in some way...and extremely self-conscious. Hiding and trying to cover the lack of mustache works to a small degree, but how can Mabel live her life forever hidden? It is through meeting and making a wonderful new friend- one with their own distinctive look- that Mabel begins to let her worries go and appreciate the power of uniqueness. Brilliantly illustrated (truly marvelous to pore over), with an original story at its core, Mabel: A Mermaid Fable is a story simultaneously wise and enchantingly wacky. (Not to mention a story that makes great use of inserting "nudibranch" into the dialogue multiple times! A conversation and/or research starter, if ever!).

Mabel: A Mermaid Fable is a winner, and adds to Watkins' roster of offbeat, unexpected, singular, and terrific picture books. Readers on the lookout for an epically delightful, warm and giggly read aloud, or those who are fans of authors and illustrators such as Cindy Derby, Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, or Florence Perry Heide might especially relish (and want to hug) Watkins' latest.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's a mermaid to do when she doesn't have a mustache? Make friends with a septopus, of course. Together, they count to eighty-eight and learn about nudibranchs, the most gorgeous sea slugs you've ever seen. (You can see real nudibranchs here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/nudibr...)

Many other Goodreads reviewers have criticized this book for being . . . too imaginative, I guess? I mean, it's a children's picture book and it has the words "Mermaid" and "Fable" in the title, but people somehow wanted something more traditional? I dunno, I loved it. I don't expect a book of this length to have much of a plot. And the sheer joy of it all was very satisfying to me.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter was so cunfused by this book. Do all mermaids have mustaches, or just Mable's family? What do nudibranches have to do with anything? Cute premise, but it felt like some plot development was missing.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

You had me at mermaids with mustaches. I think on the face of this story these is a heavy and fun dose of the ridiculous but it actually opens the door to a lot of really interesting discussion for kids. Of course some children (and adults) feel they don't look the way they are supposed to or are missing something they think they need to have and feel insecure. Mabel learns to see her missing mustache as extraordinary rather than a deficit and stops hiding. She makes friends with an octopus who also has an insecurity and together they rewrite their stories. Honestly, I just love it. The illustrations are delightful!

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel is different from other merpeople and despite all of her efforts to compensate, her differences make her feel awkward and conspicuous. She takes to hiding out in dark places where no one can see her and it's there that she meets a 7-legged octopus who is also uncomfortable being different. They quickly become friends and their problems are soon forgotten in the midst of all the fun they're having - until some bullies come along. But together Mabel and the octopus are stronger than their tormentors.

This is kind of silly and off-beat - mermaids with (or without!) mustaches, and pufferfish bullies yelling "nudibranch!" - but it appealed to me (I have a special love for nudibranchs and have spent a lot of time explaining to people what they are and assuring them that there's nothing weird about their name - anything that starts with "nude" seems to worry people). The message about accepting/embracing your differences is a good one and it's important for every kid to know that they don't have to hide or feel bad because of them.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mabel the mermaid is ashamed of her physical abnormality until she meets Lucky the squid who is similarly handicapped.

Unlike other mermaids, Mabel doesn't have a mustache. (For the purposes of this story, both male and female merpeople are supposed to have facial hair.) Mabel tries concealing her defect behind shells and false seaweed mustaches. She also spends a lot of time hiding.

One day she hides in a hole and discovers that it is already occupied, and she meets Lucky. Lucky is a squid with seven arms instead of eight. They bond over the commonality of having a physical defect and form a friendship. And when blowfish appear and call them "nudibranchs," which is an insult that always mortified Mabel, Lucky introduces her to the amazing animals nudibranchs.

This is a silly story about self-acceptance and friendship that demonstrates how those who fall short of physical standards still have value.

[Hannah Lewczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how this book is a little ridiculous (mermaids with mustaches) and think it would captivate young readers. I felt like there was something missing from this and didn't think it was a good representation of a fable because there was no good vs. evil or consequences for actions. There was a lesson to be taught about self-acceptance, but I wouldn't quite call this book a fable. Rated 3 stars because I was left feeling like the story was tied up too quickly and it wasn't my favorite, although I know I am not the intended audience. I would say this is a good book for 5-7 year olds who like mermaids and need to learn self-acceptance themselves.

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Rowboat Watkins book by a long shot, but still wonderful and weird in a way that all his works are. I love that his illustrations are always packed with detail and humor. In this book, everything has a slightly fuzzy/murky quality to its appearance, like it really is under the sea.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love the end pages with sea shell design. The magnificent corals are an especially beautiful spread with greens and blues to represent the underwater ocean setting. And the sea snugs (nudibranchs) are wonderfully diverse and unique. It was all that they needed to see, so that Mabel and Lucky could be all that they needed to be. No mustache required and seven legs enough.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to look up nudibranchs because I'd never heard of them. They are sea slugs without shells. The "ch" at the end is pronounced like a hard k as in the word "character." They are indeed very cool-looking: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/inver...

This idea of a mustachioed merfamily gave us a giggle but mostly I enjoyed learning about nudibranchs!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a bit bizarre--a mermaid who is embarrassed by her lack of mustache befriends an octopus with only seven tentacles. Learning what a nudibranch was was rather entertaining, and the friendship theme was cute, though I'm not sure I understood the mermaids with mustache theme.

[Katelynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Mabel: A Mermaid Fable” is a Fantasy book written and illustrated by Rowboat Watkins for children 3 years old to 5 years old. This book is about a mermaid called Mabel and she was different then the other mermaids that all had mustache’s she didn’t have one. It made her so embarrassed but one day she met a friend that was different like her his name was Lucky and he was a octopus with only 7 tentacles instead of eight. They both became best friends and stopped caring what others thought of them. The plot of this story is about meeting a friend that is different like them. The theme of the story was to be proud of being different it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. The 2 main characters of the story Mabel and Lucky each have a fun little personality. Mabel is shy, insecure, silly, joyful, and smart, Lucky is insecure, silly, learning new things like numbers, and smart in his own way. The illustrations of the book are fantastic the book tells readers that the pages are made with pencil, watercolor, ink, vintage book paper, and an iMac. Every page is very colorful and creative and is very appealing to look at adult or child. The language of the book is very basic since it’s for very small children and the sentences only have one sentence per page. If I had to use this book for a lesson, I would use it to have children think of a fantasy story such as, mermaids, pirates, wizards and witches, etc. After they know which fantasy story they like I would ask them to think of something different just like Mabel that makes the characters in their fantasy story stand out.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a quirky twist on mermaids, this is a cute story of friendship and learning to love one's self.

Mabel is not a happy mermaid. While her entire mermaid family shares a similar trait, she isn't quite the same. The other fish call her names, and although she isn't sure what the word even means, she knows it can't be good. Deciding that the only thing left for her to do is hide, she slides into a hole at the bottom of the ocean. There, she meets someone else who is hiding, and together, they might just be able to find a way to be happy again.

Mabel is hard not to like...and the difference she has to the other mermaids definitely will draw young listeners'/readers' attentions. Possibly, a gasp and some giggles. Mabel is a determined little mermaid, and her attempts to fit in touch the heart. When she wants to hide, young listeners will easily relate to her feelings and probably see themselves in her. The message, while clear, slides in smoothly with the tale, and makes for a wonderful read-aloud, which will hold listeners' attention.

The illustrations are sweet, fitting and fun to flip through. Mabel is well done...not glamorous like mermaids often are but rather more easy to relate to. It's a treat to join her in her underwater world and hard not to have the wish to join her. Because Mabel and her new found friend would be exactly the kind of friends most kids would love to have.

I received an ARC and found this one to be a perfect read-aloud with wonderful characters.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure exactly what the message is. Is it about being okay with who you are? Different is okay? It's okay to be not like exactly everyone else? This is also the first time I have seen mermaids with mustaches. Dwarfs, yes. Mermaids, no. This book is probably not focusing on mermaids, but from what I recall about The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects there was nothing about mermaids having mustaches. Yes, I am more than likely missing the point, but I was just thrown by mermaids having mustaches. Also what was the point of the sponges and what did they have to do with the message?

Verdict: This was an "eh" for me. I know some people loved this, but I was just confuse.

[A Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mabel is a mermaid without a mustache so she goes into hiding, where she finds an octopus with only seven legs. She teaches him how to count and he sorta teaches her to juggle. The pair of friends are called "nudibranchs" by bullies, but the octopus thinks sea slugs are amazing. The book end with Mabel realizing she had everything she needed "under her nose". I do with that Mabel's family had tried to assure her that she didn't need a mustache and that she was great exactly as she is. I would have liked for Mabel's realization that she had everything she needed to have included her family. This is a silly story that I am certain some kids will be obsessed with, but it wasn't for me personally.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel is different from everyone else in her family. She does not have a mustache. Other sea creatures tease her about this and she tries to hide. While hiding, she meets an Octopus, Lucky, with only seven legs. Together they gain confidence and build a friendship. When the fish return and call them names again, Lucky shows Mabel what sea slugs are actually like. They're beautiful and unique. She realizes she's just fine as she is.
Watkins spins a tale of acceptance for who you are. The illustrations are highly detailed and readers will feel like they're under the water with Mabel. The writing could be a little stronger but the point comes through.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Mabel's entire family sports magnificent mustaches, but Mabel just doesn't have one and she feels this lack keenly. It's not until she meets someone else (Lucky the octopus) who feels like they are missing a part of themselves that the two of them find a community with each other. Another layer of the story involves some random fishes calling Mabel and Lucky "nudibranchs" as a slur, but Mabel doesn't know what it means, just that it sounds bad. Lucky reveals that nudibranchs are amazing sea slugs.

A sweet friendship tale that hits on feeling good about oneself and realizing that we aren't all the same.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your typical mermaid story. It starts out with a mermaid who feels shy because she doesn't have a mustache. Then she makes friends with an octopus who only has 7 legs. I thought it was quite funny, but I hesitate to use it for storytime because there is bullying in it: the other sea creatures call her a "nudibranch." I had to look it up, and "nudibranch" is the technical term for sea slugs. I don't know if I want to teach the general public of kids to chant "nudibranch," but on a one-on-one basis, this is a fun story.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mabel thought when fish said "nudibranch!" it must be an insult, but actually it was a positive statement. Nudibranchs are magnificently varied and beautiful, so the exclamation of "nudibranch!" is like saying "you look different!" but as a compliment. That's the plot that people don't seem to understand.

Also Mabel is a very squat mermaid and that makes me happy. <3

[Christine Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facebook Live 2020
Under the Sea Storytime

Mabel is different...she doesn't have a mustache like the rest of her family. Everyone makes fun of her and so she goes into hiding. There she finds a new friend who is different too!

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was neither great nor awful. Mabel, a mermaid who--unlike the rest of the mermaids in her world--does not have a mustache, befriends a 7-legged octopus named Lucky. The friends learn to celebrate each other and themselves. Slightly silly and absurd, not fantastic.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little picture book whose author is doing an event at the bookstore where I work soon. He's going to be zooming with the kids. The message is heartwarming and I think I would have found the art to be really funny when I was a kid.

[Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel does not have a mustache like the rest of her family, and doesn't feel like she fits in. Once she makes a new friend who also doesn't fit in, they discover that they are beautiful no matter what.

[Kelly]

Um, well, my first thought was "I don't need another book about it not mattering how you look" when I read the jacket description, but the story is actually unique. I was confused at the ending with Mabel doing what she chose to do (or not do).

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mabel isn't like the other mermaids. Lucky isn't like the other octopuses. But when they find each other, they discover that true friendship isn't about how you look, and that sometimes what we are searching for is right under our noses.