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The Little Mermaid

Name: The Little Mermaid
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
ISBN: 9781604333770

by Hans Christian Andersen

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Overview

The beloved tale of The Little Mermaid is faithfully reproduced in this new edition of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic. Original art by critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling illustrator Charles Santore is masterfully reproduced using the most advanced technology to bring these breathtaking illustrations to life like never before. The vivid colors and captivating spreads make this beautiful story one to be treasured in every home.

The Little Mermaid is a timeless classic that has fascinated readers young and old for many generations. The adventures of the young mermaid princess splash life across the pages of a story full of belonging, hope, love and sacrifice. This new edition embodies beautiful original artwork by Charles Santore, masterfully reproduced with the latest technology available, containing vivid colors and captivating illustrations that make every page an unrivaled masterpiece. The sharp contrast of life under the sea and on the land is captured with these magnificent depictions of the story. In reviewing the original Santore artwork, the School Library Journal wrote, “Through his clever use of contrasting palettes, the illustrations create two distinct worlds: the ethereal blues and greens of the Sea King's undersea realm, and the sun-drenched reds and golds of the prince's domain.” Children and adults are sure to treasure this book and all it encompasses for many years to come.

A little sea princess, longing to be human, trades her mermaid's tail for legs, hoping to win the love of a prince and earn an immortal soul for herself.

Synopsis

Relive the timeless tale of The Little Mermaid in this illustrated classic edition sure to delight young readers and old. Follow the Little Mermaid as she goes on a journey to discover her humanity and find her soul.

The adventures of the young mermaid princess splash life across the pages of a story full of belonging, hope, love and sacrifice. This classic tale from Hans Christian Anderson will engage readers with a whole new world full of gorgeous illustrations.

This Classic Edition of The Little Mermaid features:

A beautifully designed hardcoverA child-friendly retelling of the original textIllustrations by renowned artist Charles Santore, the critically-acclaimed illustrator of multiple classic tales, including The Night Before Christmas, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit, and Aesop's FablesIs a wonderful gift for young readers for birthdays, holidays, or a Christmas gift

Charles Santore’s works has been widely exhibited in museums and celebrated with recognitions such as the prestigious Hamilton King Award, the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence, and the Original Art 2000 Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. He is best known for his luminous interpretations of classic children’s stories, including Snow White, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz.

About the Author, Hans Christian Andersen

Charles Santore is a renowned children’s book illustrator whose work has been widely exhibited in museums and celebrated with recognitions such as the prestigious Hamilton King Award, the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence, and the Original Art 2000 Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Santore is best known for his luminous interpretations of classic children’s stories such as Snow White, The Night Before Christmas and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride, which was named 2004 Children’s Book of the Year for Poetry by the Bank Street College Children’s Book Committee. His illustrations for The Wizard of Oz, which is widely considered to be the quintessential illustrated version, were used as the scenic backdrops for a major television performance of the work. Charles Santore lives and works in Philadelphia.

Biography

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, to a poor family. He left home as a 14-year-old to seek his fortune at the theatre in Copenhagen. Andersen began writing plays and poetry before he left for Copenhagen, but it was not until 1835 that he published the first of the fairytales that would bring him international renown. Since then, his over 200 fairytales have enjoyed undiminished popularity, providing the basis for favorite American interpretations such as Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Biography courtesy of HarperCollins

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

As she has with previous interpretations of classics, Zwerger (Alice in Wonderland) works from Bell's faithful translation of Andersen's text, with no happily ever after. Here the mermaid must watch her beloved prince marry another, knowing that she herself will die the following day. Zwerger's exquisite watercolors bring to life the mermaid's world. At a window in the castle of her father, the sea king, the mermaid gazes out into the blue-green distance, wondering what life above must be like; while fish dart in and out, she pets one absently. Watery meadows of jade and turquoise suggest empty silence and foreshadow the mermaid's sacrifice to the sea witch in exchange for a human form, the heroine must trade her voice, "a lovelier voice than anyone on earth or in the sea." Zwerger represents the mermaid's shunning of her undersea home with a depiction of her overgrown garden, once the heroine's pride and joy. Other memorable scenes, framed in a white border, depict the mermaid towing the prince to shore after a shipwreck and, later, as dawn breaks on the day she is to turn to sea foam, the mermaid looks resolute, clothed in a glorious golden gown that resembles fish scales. Zwerger's parting scene, an aerial view of the prince's ship sailing away, amplifies the bittersweet yet redemptive conclusion, in which the little mermaid, now a "child of the air," may earn an immortal soul. The illustrations may well provide endless hours of reverie. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Isadora's Isadora Dances haunting retelling of this classic tale leaves Disney's cotton-candy version far behind. Hewing faithfully to the darker themes of Andersen's original, Isadora relates the bittersweet story of the little mermaid who falls in love with a human prince and finds her love unrequited. Doomed by the sea witch's nefarious contract to become sea foam, the mermaid rejects the villainess's offer to save herself by murdering the prince, and instead martyrs herself for love. It's a fey, powerfully moving tale, exquisitely illustrated. While the text spools out against squares of sea-washed greens and grays, Isadora's ethereal watercolor portraits register a wide range of emotions, from the sweet innocence of the mermaid's yearning captured in a face tilted toward the water's surface, to the eerie image of her five sisters floating on a moonlit sea, offering up a knife to slay the prince. Isadora displays a dramatist's sense of lighting, endowing many scenes with the visual presence of a stage play. The sea-witch, for instance, is doubly frightening by virtue of her face being illuminated as if by footlights, casting cruel shadows and highlights across her leering visage. Isadora's superb artistic efforts outshine the somewhat pedestrian retelling, however, which lacks the emotional resonance of the illustrations. Ages 4-8. May

Children's Literature

This adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale comes alive. The magical, imaginative illustrations set the tone of this story about a little mermaid's desire to have a soul. The gentle pastel illustrations take readers to the beautiful sea kingdom where the princess lives. Isadora offers a well-crafted adaptation that is intrinsically woven with her rich illustrations. This would be a welcome addition to any collection, and one that ranks comparably to others of superb quality.

Children's Literature

This pretty little book contains a traditional rendition of Andersen's tale. In the original story, the little mermaid wants to marry the prince to gain an immortal soul. When the little mermaid trades her voice for legs, the prince befriends her but marries someone else. The ending isn't as happy as the Disney version, but it is certainly nobler and thought provoking. Feminist readers may wince at language such as ". . . but everyone knows you have to suffer if you want to look nice . . ." and at the little mermaid's need for the prince's love to earn her immortal soul, but they should read on. In the end, the little mermaid is her own heroine, both saving the prince and winning the opportunity to earn a soul by herself. The language stays true to the oral origins of Andersen's work resulting in a great tale but challenging and sometimes archaic syntax and vocabulary. Even experienced young readers may need a little help with words such as sulphur, unfurled, and tempestuous. While sophisticated word choices and nearly fifty pages of text may discourage younger readers from reading it alone, this story truly shines when read aloud. Illustrations were done by a variety of Disney artists during the early conceptual phases of their production of The Little Mermaid and provide a fascinating glimpse at other ways Ariel and her story might have been depicted by Disney.

Children's Literature

Until Disney got ahold of the story, countless generations were enthralled by Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale of the little mermaid. Now today's children have a chance to read the original tale accompanied by Zwerger's enchanting illustrations. The little mermaid has a privileged life in her father's palace under the sea, but she yearns for life above the water. After saving the life of a human prince, she is determined to find a way to live on the surface. She sacrifices her voice to the sea witch, only to be abandoned by the prince when he finds true love. The mermaid has one chance to live: by killing the prince. She refuses and dies, but is granted the chance to earn an immortal soul. Even if you already own a copy of this timeless classic, Zwerger's version is still worth buying. Her misty illustrations make what is (for today's children) a rather advanced text much more intriguing. On most pages, a sentence that describes the illustration is highlighted in a different color. If you know a child who has only ever known the Disney version, give them this book at once! 2004, Penguin, Ages 5 up.
—Amie Rose Rotruck

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A romantic interpretation of the classic tale. Hague has illustrated this traditional translation with jewel-toned paintings, depicting scenes of the little mermaid and her sisters in their underwater palace; the frightening realm of the hideous sea witch; the prince's storybook kingdom; and the ethereal forms of the daughters of the air. The illustrations, one to a page, vary in size from the first magical, full-page view of the Sea King's palace to the final, starlit glimpse of the lovely little mermaid smiling farewell to her beloved prince. Edward Frascino's pictures in Eva Le Gallienne's translation HarperCollins, 1971; o.p. feature a cartoonlike mermaid, and Chihiro Iwasaki's art in Anthea Bell's translation Picture Book Studio, 1991 is more abstract. This new edition is a worthy purchase for all collections.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--Isadora's light-filled watercolor paintings offset a less than engaging text in her retelling of Andersen's classic tale. The story of the mermaid who sacrifices her voice and suffers for her love of a human prince, while accessible to younger listeners and competent enough, lacks richness and depth. The paintings, however, express the true range of the tale, from the appealing, engaging child mermaid looking up with wonder and longing on the cover to the triumphant spirit soaring joyfully through the clouds at story's end. Isadora demonstrates her mastery of light and dark; the stormy painting of the tempest that sinks the prince's ship is followed by the sunny calm of the shore. The illustrations alone make the book a worthwhile purchase, and if the text is not as fleshed out as one might wish, it is at least a version of the story that will appeal to preschoolers.--Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA

Janice Del Negro

ger for reading aloud. This fine translation of Andersen's fairy tale first appeared in "Michael Hague's Favorite Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales" (1981). Hague's picture-book version is a colorful collection of undersea life--glittering fish, sparkling ocean flora, and merpeople with pearly tails float from page to page as the Little Mermaid pursues her impossible love. That the pictures do not always accurately reflect the text and that the faces of the characters are less graceful than their forms will go unnoticed by young readers captured by the romance of the subject at hand. The Little Mermaid's ultimate tragedy is foreshadowed by dark stormy seas and Andersen's own telling language. Parents may have to be warned that this is the antithesis of Disney, with a sad, if foregone, conclusion.

Kirkus Reviews

From Isadora (A South African Night, p. 496, etc.), a rich retelling of a dark and complex tale, with illustrations that are surprisingly uneven. The little mermaid turns 15: "She rose to the surface as light as a bubble. In the glow of sunset, a great ship lay anchored." She peers inside the porthole to view the young prince with whom she'll fall in love. The telling has a spellbinding cadence, lending itself to reading aloud. Scenes such as the storm destroying the ship, the sea witch, and the first portrait of the mermaid as a young girl are grand and accomplished; others aren't as strong. In almost every scene the little mermaid's hair and face varies to an amateurish degree; a scene of her and her grandmother demonstrates markedly different approaches to drawing faces: The little mermaid's is all but featureless, the elderly woman's is explicitly detailed. The text stands alone, but given Isadora's past accomplishments, it needn't be so. (Picture book/folklore. 6-9)