A Book of Mermaids

Stories about mermaids come from almost every country from Iceland to India, America to Arabia.

Most mermaids have flowing hair, long graceful tails, and a beauty that lures men to the bottom of the sea. In the Danish story “Sven and Lilli,” Sven follows the mermaid Lilli to her ocean home, where they live together in a domed house beneath the waves. But not all mermaids are beautiful, and some are unchancy creatures indeed. In the Irish tale “The Magic Lake,” there is a mermaid with pig’s eyes and wolf’s teeth, her mouth grinning from ear to ear. The mermaid Groach, in the Breton story “The Groach of the Isle of Lok,” casts a spell over handsome young men, marries them, and then turns them into rainbow-colored fish.

In these sixteen tales, Ruth Manning-Sanders captures the quicksilver personalities of mermaids and mermen as she recounts their marvelous schemes and adventures. The stories span Denmark, Iceland, Italy, India, Brittany, America, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, Portugal, Wales, and the Middle East.

There is a Welsh mermaid who walks on water, a French mermaid without a tail, and an American tale called “Long John and the Mermaid” about a mermaid undone by her love for a whale. There are magical tunes that set every creature of the sea jumping and spinning, a lost prince in Iceland, geese and a golden chain in Portugal, and a merman called Rosmer in Scotland. Some of these tales are funny. Some are dramatic. Some are melancholy. All of them are unforgettable.

Manning-Sanders retells each story with her celebrated warmth, wit, and precision, not a word wasted, yet every page shimmering with the mystery and magic of the sea. The award-winning Robin Jacques provides exquisite illustrations that bring each mermaid and merman vividly to life.

Stories include: Sven and Lilli (Denmark) • The Lost Prince (Iceland) • The Three Mermaids (Italy) • Rake Up! (Denmark) • The Kingdom of Ocean (India) • Margrette (Brittany) • Long John and the Mermaid (America) • The Magical Tune (Ireland) • The Comb, the Flute, and the Spinning Wheel (North Germany) • The Magic Lake (Ireland) • The Untidy Mermaid (Scotland) • The Groach of the Isle of Lok (Brittany) • The Geese and the Golden Chain (Portugal) • Merman Rosmer (Scotland) • The Lake Maiden (Wales) • The Four Abdallahs (Arab)

Perfect for read-aloud sessions, bedtime storytelling, and young readers ages 6–12 who are fascinated by the sea and everything that lives beneath it. A treasured volume in Ruth Manning-Sanders’ celebrated “A Book of…” folklore series