"Pack a package of Goldfish crackers and a bottle of water.
The water is for you.
Mermaids have quite enough water for their own needs.
The crackers are to share."
Mermaids are a popular topic with younger readers and dare I say mostly girls. Jane Yolen does not specify the gender of this adventurer because the story is told by an off-stage narrator. It is illustrator Sally Deng who has interpreted the book so to my eye the child could be a girl or a boy. You can see inside this book here.
Publisher blurb: Would you like to spot a mermaid? If so, you will need a few supplies and a great deal of patience. As we learn in these informative illustrated pages, mermaids are very shy and do not make friends easily. But if you find a place near the water, sit very still, and are willing to share your Goldfish crackers, you just might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one. And who knows . . . there may even be a mermaid, somewhere, hoping to catch a glimpse of you, too!
You will have fun when you read this book aloud because it contains the word 'fishetarians' which means they eat fish - so "try not to look like a fish." Also, actually most mermaids are vegetarians which means they eat kelp and "kelp looks like brown pasta". There is a mermaid hiding on nearly every page - readers will see this but the boy or girl keeps looking the wrong way.
I was pleased to find this book in a public library a couple of weeks ago. It was only published in April 2025 which means this library does add new books and not only Australian titles and it might also mean someone is keeping an eye out for popular topics like mermaids. And of course, all libraries need books by master storyteller Jane Yolen author of over 400 books.
In a few weeks I will be talking again about Sally Deng. She is the illustrator of a brilliant new book by Katherine Paterson about Jella Lepman the founder of IBBY.
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