The Mermaid Atlas: Merfolk of the World

by Anna Claybourne

Magical and mysterious, the merfolk of the world are notoriously elusive, but this enchanting compendium will reveal their secrets. Learn all about the beautiful selkies of the Scottish seas, the wily iara of Brazil who love to outwit travelers, and the fearful Ningyo of Japan who can give you eternal life. This captivating book features a mix of mermaid "facts" and short retellings of some of the most magical and enticing traditional merfolk tales.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Mermaids, Picture Books, Childrens, Middle Grade, Folklore

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2020

About the author

Freelance children’s writer and editor, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Anna Claybourne writes children's information books on all kinds of topics: science experiments, ancient history, the human body, things to make, the environment, robots, evolution, art, fashion, Shakespeare and many more - as well as retellings of myths, legends and Shakespeare plays, and rhyming stories.

She studied English literature at university, but has always been interested in science, technology and art and design as well. She loves making and crafting, especially sewing, and her house is full of fabrics, craft materials, tools and books. Other interests and passions include camping, cats, outdoor swimming, news and politics, and music - she plays the trombone and has played in many different bands and orchestras, including performing live on a John Peel session in 2002 with Scottish band Ballboy.

Anna was born and grew up in Yorkshire, but has also lived in Canada as a student, Iceland as an au pair, and Costa Rica as a conservation volunteer, where she saw tarantulas, tapirs, monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and giant katydids. She now lives in Edinburgh with her two children and two cats, Skye and Socks.

Reviews

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-fiction for young readers interested in mermaids. Detailing a lot of mermaids story and myths and folk tales from around the world, focusing on each region and continent, I discovered a lot and knew a lot from these sweet short illustrated bios.

In addition to that, it includes different chapters like their magical powers and sightings and myths. It's short and would appeal to myth lovers of all ages, but definitely younger readers.

I thank Netgalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd for the digital ARC.

[Macarena (followed that rabbit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely! Clearly explained and beautifully illustrated.

The child in me has enjoyed it quite a lot. And it has been so nice to see the story of the merfolk from my country. I grew up listening to these stories, because my grandfather grew up on the magnificent and magical Chiloé Island, and I used to go there with my family. La Pincoya , La Sirena and El Pincoy are some of the magical creatures from the Island along with others who live in the forest.

I wish I could hold it in my hands. To be able to flip every page and look at the lovely illustrations by Miren Asiain Lora.


Thanks to Laurence King Publishing Ltd and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Sheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations! Super informative about all the different types of mer-folk. The layout was great and easy to follow. Loved this one and may purchase it for myself. Thank you netgalley and to the publisher for a copy!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all you know is the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of the Little Mermaid, you need to check out this book.

Full of whimsical and clear visuals of mermaids and mermen of every continent, this book showcases mermaids from South America to Japan, even in Africa (Don't forget about the Nile River!)
Whether compassionate, mischievous, deities, evil beings, shape shifters or explanations of phenomenon, these merfolk are sure to entrance you just as much as others, the world over.

The book is equal parts geography and mythology. A really fun book showcasing the countries, continents, and existences of these strange, elusive, cool and even dangerous beings.

One of the really cool factoids featured in this book are mermaid sightings and merfolk lore, including a potential mermaid site in 2012!

[jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mermaids are seducting creatures with heavenly voice that mirrors that of an angel, who enchant humans; or they’re terrible, gruesome creatures who terrify them. Divergence on the accounts of their appearance aside, it’s undeniable they’re part of the world’s culture. To quote the book itself, “Wherever there’s water, there are stories”.

This little atlas gathers those stories, legends and folklore of merfolk from all corners of the world. They’re divided by region: Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America and South America. There’s also little sections about ancient mermaids, sightings, mermaid magic and more.

This is not just an archive on mermaids though, it contains sirens, selkies, water spirits and deities. They’re women turned fish, sea royalty, masters of waves and storms, protectors and guardians, warm-hearted beings who help locals or vengeful and a threat to anyone who crosses their path. They can be found in palaces deep in the ocean, or watery caves or sunken abandoned ships, or even on land when they shapeshift from their form with scales to one with two human legs.

It’s obvious it took a lot of research to write this book even though it’s extremely short. I feel like they tried their best to be respectful and include varying cultures.

It’s astonishing that there are so many different tales of half fish, half human creatures. From the ancient greek myth of the Nereids, and the ancient Syrian moon goddess Atargatis whose grief made her fall all the way from the sky into the sea and turn mermaid, the kind fabric-waving mermaids in China to hideous human fish in Japan that turned a girl almost-immortal when she ate them, and mysterious shapeshifting sea-people from Northern Australia that can never be depicted in any form or image.

We have no clue about what creatures lay under the waves. Water has always been a center of mystery for us, and it will be for years and years to come. We might not succeed in our search, but it doesn’t matter. Humanity will continue to explore the oceans and deep waters, and who’s to say what we might find? But one thing is for certain, all these tales show us that the not knowing might be a gift in itself.

Even though Mermaid Atlas is about mythical and folkloric beings, it gave me a newfound love for humanity and storytelling. Is there even a difference between the two? They’re intrinsically connected, there isn’t one without the other. There’s nothing more human than folklore and stories passed from generation to generation. I wonder which long forgotten tales were lost to history.

[Oyinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Laurence King Publishing for giving me free access to this ebook via Netgalley in exchange for my impartial review.

I really enjoyed this one, because I'm a lover of mermaids and a lot of things in the fantasy realm. I loved that this book brought together so many mermaid myths and legends from all over the world, and entries were grouped according to continent. I loved the illustrations and the maps that were added to every continent category.

I was really excited to read about Yemoja and Mami Wata - Nigerian mermaids. I also loved learning about new mermaid tales from all over the world.

My only problem with this was the extremely tiny font. This is supposed to be a children's book, and I had to keep zooming a lot to read the text. Hopefully, it's a lot bigger in a physical copy.

This was really exciting to read and I'll definitely keep going back to it.

[Diedra Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on a Mermaid discovery adventure, one continent at a time. Following the beautifully illustrated maps and story inserts, you get to read about a wide range of Merfolk that will be new to most people.

While the illustrations are absolutely attractive for anyone, I think the language used comes across as more appropriate for late elementary/early middle-grade. As an adult, I was also able to enjoy the stories and will be looking into many of them.

A beautiful book filled with captivating summaries of Merfolk from around the world.

[Shaelene (aGirlWithBookss) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adorable book is something I’ve been looking for for years! Mermaids are my favorite mythological creature, reading this book made them feel more real.
I think we all have ideas about mermaids and what they are, but culturally they are very diverse.
I learned so much about all the different kinds of mermaids from all over the world, and the varied stories that go with them.

Great illustrations, plenty of kids will love this book!
4 stars

**ARC provided by Lawrence King Publishing LTD. via NetGalley

[Ula · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 🌟Folklore feast

Stories about mermaids or other sea-people are as old as the World's history of sailing. From beautiful young ladies rescuing sailors to blood-thirst water monsters waiting to kill them, mermaids look different in various parts of the globe. 'The Mermaid Atlas' is a short illustrated research about merfolks around the world. The book presents each continent and its sea-people on a big map and provides descriptions to each water tribe. Every page is decorated with illustrations by Miren Asiain Lora showing the details of mermaid's appearance.

What I liked the most was the information the book provided. Each type of mermaid is described with quite a lot of details, including history, legends, appearance, and more if available. Additionally, the book breaks down the mermen lifestyle, where they live, what they eat, and how good they're with magic. Also, presents all the actual facts like seamen presence in mythology, historical encounters with water creatures, and more. That's plenty of information for a children's book! I'm a huge mythology geek and this atlas satisfied my hunger for folklore stories.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who's a fan of mermaids and would make a fantastic gift.

This book gives you detailed information about mermaids from every corner of the globe and tells historical stories ( in condensed form) about some of the more famously known mermaids. There are mermen mentioned in this book too.

The illustrations are lovely and very befitting to each mermaid/merman mentioned.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely delightful compendium of merfolk mythology! Highly recommend.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assolutamente si!
Non solo il libro è esteticamente molto curato (a partire dagli inseriti dorati in copertina, per proseguire con le stupende illustrazioni interne) ma è anche molto interessante.
Le leggende delle sirene, buone o cattive, appassionano e non annoiano in nessun momento.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Mermaid Atlas: Merfolk of the World’ by Anna Claybourne with illustrations by Miren Asiain Lora in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I would have adored this picture book/atlas when I was a child as I was obsessed with merfolk and even created my own comics depicting them in their underwater homes interacting with other sea creatures.

Here Anna Claybourne has collected merfolk ‘facts’ and short retellings of tales from all over the world organised by continent. Many of these types of merfolk were new to me so it proved a fascinating journey.

I found Miren Asiain Lord’s illustrations enchanting with tiny details that enhanced the text.

My only slight problem with the digital edition provided for review was that some pages had white text on a pale pink background that didn’t provide enough contrast to allow me to read. Still, this is unlikely to effect the print edition.

Overall, a magical compendium to delight lovers of mermaid lore of any age.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what is says on the tin: An atlas with different mermaid myths from all over the world.
Each section begins with a map that indicates where this mermaid comes from, and then each myth gets one beautiful illustration to accompany the description.

We need to talk about the illustrations. They are colourful, detailed, and inclusive. Not only have we pale and perfectly groomed slim figures, we have a plus size mermaid, and some feauture arm pit hair. Because they are beautiful as they are, however they chose to represent.
I love that.

As was to be expected, I knew all of the European merfolk, but exactly none from the other continents. I learned while being entertained, which is always the best way.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[2TReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed travelling the globe and learning of the different stories that surround merpeople. What struck me was that even countries with vastly different cultural beliefs and rituals all share a common link through these stories.

The myriad versions and manifestations of mermaids and mermen that have become staples in pop culture and literature, have all been influenced in some way by these tales that have been passed down in each society. The various characteristics: behaviour- and appearance -wise was also very interesting to discover. The illustrations were simple, beautiful and whimsical.

[Munch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent an arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
4.5
What a beautiful book! The illustrations are a joy to look at and the maps are awesome. Though I would have liked more detailed information of all the mermaids there was a great variety of them here. I love reading about mermaids and water spirits from other cultures rather than the more familiar 'little mermaid' variety that I grew up with. There's also a good combination of both benign mermaids and the scary, blood thirsty kind (though the later are my absolute favourites). Overall this is a great introduction to the world's mermaid lore for kids but also a lovely addition to any mermaid lovers collection.

[Shannon's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This is a beautifully illustrated atlas that gives you a brief history of merpeople from all over the world. I really loved my time reading and learning about all the different myths and legends.
I would say that this is targeted towards a younger audience as the book focuses more on the key facts and doesn't go into much detail.
My only downside was that I was wanting more and I wish this book contained more stories and more information.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

I have a passion for mythology and folklore and this book was perfect

I liked the sections and how they were split down to the different countries and then again to the specific myths, tales and folklore – it really is a book that makes you wonder what could be out there are they have been some fairly recent sightings of mermaids or fish folk too

It is 5 stars from me for this one, well written, punchy facts and loved the illustrations too – very highly recommended and a great introduction to make you want to go away and read more about these creatures!

[Steff Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

| Reader Fox Blog |


Part of my reasoning for requesting this book had to do with research. Which is somewhat ironic considering that The Mermaid Atlas by Anna Claybourne and illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora likely took an insane amount of research to write. This atlas, as you might expect, goes all across the world to bring you the truth of the countless tales, or perhaps tails, that have built up a reputation for themselves throughout the course of history. Prior to reading this book, I'd not known the exact number of different merfolk that exist within the stories.

This was such a fascinating read, traversing across the globe to slowly introduce myself to every tidbit of knowledge that exists about any sort of half-human, half-fish creature from those of the gods to those of a more sinister variety. There are so many cultures throughout the world that it is of no surprise that accounts of merfolk differ so much from place to place.

I loved the artwork in this book as well, finding that it is very appropriate for the kind of book this is. The imagery that appears within these pages is very recognizable in that it seems to be the typical go-to when it comes to drawing mermaids. In that respect, I'm actually incredibly fond of it.

All in all, this is a quick read and a very informative small book. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking to learn more about those who were once thought to dwell within the depths of the ocean.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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[leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

From fairies to mermaids, oh what a wonderful experience! Like in A Natural History of Fairies, I also got to travel the world and discovered many mermaid figures from different locations.

I got to meet merfolk from Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America. Aside from mermaids, here are some things that were discussed: mermaid homes, ancient mermaids, mermaid magic, mistaken for mermaids, and mermaid sightings.

What I liked the most though was how it engaged me. It was like I was really in those places, witnessing these mystical creatures of the water.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated collection of mermaid tales and mer-folklore from around the world. Would make a beautiful gift for kids (or adults) who love mermaids.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

È un'enciclopedia molto piccola, ma dà sufficienti spunti e informazioni sulla mitologia delle sirene di tutto il mondo nel caso foste interessate e interessati ✨

[Rɪᴛᴜsᴄᴋʏ · Rating 5 out of 5]

amo

[marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innamorata perdutamente! una coccola a fine giornata! Mi sono sentita come quando da bambina giocavo con la barbie sirenetta...HO ADORATO!

[Kathryn O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can never know too much about mermaids.

[Giulbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un viaggio bellissimo!
L'atlante esplora tutte le sirene (e simili) in ogni continente. Per ognuna c'è un approfondimento ed alcune sono legate a leggende. Conosciamo sia le sirene dal carattere benevole sia quelle non molto inclini alla simpatia eheh.
Le illustrazioni sono magnifiche, quasi sembra fatte a mano.
È stato un viaggio in fondo al mare molto appassionante!
P.s. eh no, pare che nel mediterraneo non ci siamo sirene!

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

beaut illustrations, this books makes me want to seek out retellings and more detailed books on all these different merfolk! theres so many!!

[Chaitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was brought up on two maybe-mermaid stories. My father's ancestral home was on a beach, and there was supposedly a man?fish?fish-man? that would roam the beach during afternoons searching for children frolicking on the beach. He'd then proceed to eat them up. The solution to this was to not venture out to the beach until it was time for him to give up the search - apparently this was when the sun reached a certain point above the water, we had a western facing beach. Us kids didn't really believe this, but we also kind of did.

The other one was more benign. Granddad's property also had a small pond, which had a pond-weed/algae bloom after every full moon. The story was that a spirit with really long and dirty hair would come and wash her hair in the pond every full moon, and the next day we'd see the pond weed. We have no idea where she lived normally, what she did over the month that made her hair so filthy, what would happen if we bothered to interrupt her hair washing, none of us ever bothered to find out. We were docile, city kids afraid to step in places where snakes might lurk - our parents were lucky.

Anyway, that's my background. It's kind of obvious I'd go for this book, even though it is technically meant for children. What was more surprising is that my six year old was into it. He loved every story, every beautiful illustration. The list of mermaids in the book is by no means exhaustive, since I'm sure there's a mermaid story for every rural pond. But, it is a good representation. We loved reading about Sedna, Mami Wata, the Ningyo, Lorelei and so on. Interspersed with myth, there are also some real explanations about what ancient sailors might have seen when they saw mermaids, and other stories of water monsters in the more recent past. All in all, it's a great book that both my son and I (and my husband who was listening in) thoroughly enjoyed.

ARC via Netgalley.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love mermaids and have been enjoying some mermaid books lately so when I saw this one I knew that I had to read. And even, though, I knew it was interesting it was actually a lot more interesting than I had ever thought it would be and well put together.

This book dives into depth the exploration of mermaids by first explaining what a mermaid is and then exploring continent by continent the different types of waterways that mermaids of that continent would be able to call it home. On each continental introduction page spread it shows a beautiful rendering of a continental map and showcases some of the types of mermaids that can be found there.

The following pages explore the different types of merpeople, how they were thought to live and influence the human world as well as from what country they were from. Then after all the continent's types were explored the ending spread of the section would explore another merfolk-wide topic such as the basis of merfolks, misconceptions or hoaxes and plenty more.

The illustrations were a bit on the strange side as there were some parts that were quite beautiful, impressive and definitely all of it was quite detailed. But other parts, normally the more dangerous or spooky merfolk, were portrayed in a bad way. Furthermore even, though, I did really enjoy the book I dropped it by a star since one of the Arctic maps had penguins, which don't live there although I guess you may be able to pass them off as auks.

All in all it was a great book and one that mermaid fans will most definitely love to get their hands on. And it will most definitely be a quick read for others who are just looking for a break.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***