The Little Mermaid

Rating:
Summary: An enchanted classical "pictorial" novel.
Review: I read the story when I was 9, it was for school and I hated it. I always thought it is a girly book. Now I read it again with the fantastic illustration of Charles Santore, I know why Disney adopt it into a movie.
If you are looking for beautiful modern children illustration works, this is the book you have to get. Charles Santore brings out the mysterious mood of ocean merfolk, which is something missing from any other little mermaid illustrations I've encountered.
The book is a bit pricy but it is worth every penny. It is a classical novel with the quality of classic art.

Rating:
Summary: Not completely original
Review: The illustrations in this book are fantastic. The translation purports to be Mary Howitt's, with "only the smallest adjustments...in concession to contemporary pace and attitude." I find it more romantic, however, to fly through the aether and risk being crushed to pieces rather than the more scientific "sailing through the atmosphere" and being crushed to "atoms." The editor also decided to omit the term "slaves"; apparently she'd prefer to hide from human history instead of facing it. Still, an edited Howitt is significantly better than the insipid prose issued by Disney.

Rating:
Summary: captivating
Review: The Little Mermaid is a timeless story to be revisited, cherished, and loved for one's entire life - beyond - for generations. In this remarkable book Charles Santore's breathtaking illustrations bring out the very essence of Hans Christian Anderson's classic fairy tale. He takes his audience directly to this imaginary kingdom where only infinitely beautiful souls exist - the Little Mermaid, whose love was too pure for this world, the prince, whose love for the Little Mermaid was just the wrong kind of love, even the sea-witch, who gives the Little Mermaid the only opportunity to find her prince. Santore has you fall in love with all of Anderson's characters, breaking your heart ever so delightfully.