Mermaid Tales from Around the World

Rating:
Summary: An incredible book for all mermaid lovers
Review: i'm 15 years old and have always loved mermaids. My favorite movie is Disney's The Little Mermaid, and i am always interested in any books i come across about them. i came across this book in 6th grade. it was my teacher's book, but i stole it for the entire year! i read it over and over again, i was mesmerized by the stories and pictures. most of the stories i havnt even heard before. i was so sad when i had to give it back, but just now, 3 years later, i found it on this website! i ordered it right away and couldn't be happier. i reccomend this book to anyone that has a facsination with mermaids. this book is truly wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible book for all mermaid lovers
Review: This book is wonderful for all ages. It includes stories from all over the world, not just Europe. The illustrations are excpetional, with the artist emulating the style of whatever area of the world the story is from, resulting in a genuine feel. The stories are told well, and the book is large enough to be able to show the pictures to a story-time group if desired. I am an adult, yet I found the stories to be interesting and though not dumbed down, accessible to almost all age groups.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent stories and illustrations
Review: This book is wonderful for all ages. It includes stories from all over the world, not just Europe. The illustrations are excpetional, with the artist emulating the style of whatever area of the world the story is from, resulting in a genuine feel. The stories are told well, and the book is large enough to be able to show the pictures to a story-time group if desired. I am an adult, yet I found the stories to be interesting and though not dumbed down, accessible to almost all age groups.

Rating:
Summary: Mermaids in a different light.....
Review: This wonderful book written by Mary Pope Osbourne puts memaids into a different light. Most of us (I think) view mermaids as fantastically beautiful kind and caring creatures. Although most of the mermaids in this book are depicted as being beautiful they can be very scarey as well. My daughter who will soon be eight described this book as, "Neat, but a little scarey." It was very interesting to read the stories from different countries. These mermaids are very different than the one portrayed in the Disney film. It is refreshing to read about mermaids in a cultural interpretation.
If you are a mermaid fan you will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Mermaids in a different light.....
Review: This wonderful book written by Mary Pope Osbourne puts memaids into a different light. Most of us (I think) view mermaids as fantastically beautiful kind and caring creatures. Although most of the mermaids in this book are depicted as being beautiful they can be very scarey as well. My daughter who will soon be eight described this book as, "Neat, but a little scarey." It was very interesting to read the stories from different countries. These mermaids are very different than the one portrayed in the Disney film. It is refreshing to read about mermaids in a cultural interpretation.
If you are a mermaid fan you will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: For water maidens and those who love them...
Review: This work as a whole will enlarge your understanding of water maiden creatures, but don't expect to find any rivetting storytelling.

The value of this book lies in its cultural scope. How intriguing to note that water maidens play a significant role in the folk lore of such diverse cultures! And how interesting to see how these creatures vary from country to country (for they are not all mermaids as the title would suggest). Readers will discover an added bonus in Howell's artwork, which enhances the cultural flavor of each tale to great effect.

However, each tale is written in a sparse, folk tale style--flat characters and settings with little descriptive embellishments. For this reason I would recommend this book mainly to those who love mermaids and other sea creatures, rather than to those who just looking for a good story. But recommend it I do, for it is a fine collection.