The Mermaid

by Jan Brett, Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Overview

An under-the-sea retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a mermaid explores the house of a family of Octopuses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593695746
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

“A baby octopus waved its little arms at me when I glimpsed it on some coral while in the ocean off the island of Okinawa when I was visiting my daughter and her husband. It wasn’t until I returned home and was musing over what creatures would take the place of the three bears in my under-the-sea Goldilocks story that it dawned on me that octopuses, intelligent and mischievous, would be just right. I admired the Okinawan houses and made the Octopus house like the island ones. When I worried out loud that the octopuses looked alien, my young friend Alma suggested they wear hats. Now the setting and the clothes were Japanese.

“Back in Boston, the New England Aquarium’s cold-water aquarist introduced me to Sy, their famous giant Pacific octopus. I had an ‘arms on’ experience with her. From then on, my characters seemed to take shape by themselves.

“Alice went down a rabbit hole to find another world. For me, I stepped off the beach in Okinawa.” —Jan Brett

Editorial Reviews

★ "In this dazzling remix, Brett sets 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' under the sea. The bears turn into octopuses, dressed in the straw hats and indigo-dyed coats of rural Japan, and Goldilocks becomes Kiniro, a mermaid with black hair and golden scales (“kin-iro” is Japanese for gold). . . Brett’s brightly colored, highly detailed art shines in this aquatic setting as she embellishes the octopuses’ dwelling with shells, coral, and tropical fish that swim in and out of the windows. . .  Brett’s fans will rejoice, and she’ll make new ones, too."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"In an aquatic version of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears,' Kiniro, the beautiful mermaid, is intrigued by the mystique and beauty of [a] little seashell house. . . Not only is this fractured fairy tale a delight to read, there is also an adorable side story skillfully told in the border art as only Brett can. Set in the waters off of the coast of Okinawa, this colorful picture book is exquisite."—School Library Journal

"Sure to please Brett's fans."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2017-06-27
More "The Three Bears" than "The Little Mermaid," Brett's latest picture book was inspired by her visits to Okinawa and the New England Aquarium, where she encountered the Pacific octopus. The titular mermaid is named Kiniro, and her Japanese-inspired name, dark rather than golden tresses, and East Asian features are links to Brett's Japanese inspiration for the story. Various illustrative details of the setting and characters' costuming also seem tied to Japan, but the text is firmly rooted in the very English "The Three Bears." While swimming with her friend Puffy (a puffer fish), Kiniro happens upon the house of an octopus family. In keeping with the folk-tale source material, Otosan (the father), Okasan (the mother), and Baby, an octopus family, have all gone out, leaving Kiniro to try their breakfast, their chairs, and their beds. In each instance she prefers Baby's things, and she drifts off to sleep in a clamshell bed. Throughout, Brett's signature sidebar illustrations show the octopus family on their outing, each wearing a hat. (A subplot about the octopuses' hats detracts from the story with superfluous detail.) When they return, they are upset by Kiniro's intrusion, but Puffy protects her, and they escape with a new friend in tow—a stingray who had been Baby's hat and which Kiniro replaces with a tiara. Not quite just right but sure to please Brett's fans. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews