Customer Reviews

The Little Mermaid

5 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(1)
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The Little Mermaid. Illustrated by Sulamith Wulfing; text by Hans Christian Andersen. Translated from the German by Petra Michel.

Sulamith Wulfing is a fantastic artist whose work has been sold as books of plates, calendars, and even decks of cards. This book is special because it is one of the few times that her works illustrate a story. Each page has black and white line drawings and there are ten full page color plates. The color plates are the type of work for which the artist is most known and the ten in this book have been reprinted in her calendars and other collected works. The color is vibrant and the themes of each are sublime. The cover illustration is also the last illustration in the text and shows the mermaid transformed into The Immortal Soul.

An epilog called "The Sacrifice" written by the artist's son, Otto Schulze, states that a new translation of Andersen's story was used and that "parts of the story have been summarized." While staying true to Andersen's original plot, incidents and characters have been left out and parts of the story have been changed. These changes raise the story above being a children's fairy tale and highlight its allegorical theme about the role of love in the quest for immortality. The modified text and the mystical art go together excellently to make this the best rendering of this story I have ever seen. Originally published in German in 1953, this work is as vibrant today as when it was first conceived 50 years ago.

At the end of the book is a brief one page biography of the author with an early photograph of her and a self portrait painted in 1953.

Sulamith Wulfing's art is gorgeous! Unfortunately, most of the reviews I see here are NOT for her book! They are reviews of the version Rachel Isadora illustrated (see the "nipples" and violence comments); or even for Disney's Little Golden Book adapted from the cartoon. I don't understand why reviews for other versions are displayed here; it's very misleading! If you like Sulamith Wulfing's art, you'll probably like this book.

I purchased this book because of the exquisite illustrations. Although the original book was published over 50 years ago, Sulamith Wulfing's artwork brings a fairy tale magic to Han's Christian Anderson's wonderful story, The Little Mermaid. Wulfing paints with a delicate grace, using subtle colors and strong design. The color plates are balanced with bold black and white spot illustrations placed within the text. It's a joy to go from page to page to discover each piece of artwork.

I enjoyed the written text as well. The descriptions were excellent and powerful. The epilogue and short biography at the end were nice additions. The book is a treasure for every child's library and for all adults who love fine art.

Denise Hillman Moynahan
The Great Cavern of the Winds: Tales from Backbone Mountain

I remember when I got this when I was a tiny girl and I loved it even more than the Disney version. Then I ended up losing it and I ended up forgetting about it. Then a few weeks ago, I suddenly remembered it and wished that I hadn't lost it since it was one of my favorite tales as a child. I found it on here and instantly ordered it and immensely enjoyed the memories that I once had when my mom and I read it together.

The story is much different from the Disney and much better if I may so so myself. This one is tragically written and fills you with despair.

The Little Mermaid ends up falling in love with a prince, but the prince does not love her even after she has become a human and loses her voice. No, he falls in love with another young woman and she falls in love with him. Okay, the following is going to be a spoiler, so don't read my review any furthur if you don't want to be told what happens. Well, anyways, on the wedding day of the prince's and the young girls, the Little Mermaid kills herself and becomes an angel.

This is a beautiful story for little children. If you ended up liking this, try reading The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. I would rather prefer The Phantom of the Opera, but the Little Mermaid is good.


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Well, i think that this is 1 of the best fairy tales that are out, and that any child with an imagination could apreciate the depth and wonders of the ocean.

We don't need to see the Little Mermaid's nipples.
(I can never understand why the people who cry out that the nudity is "JUST art!" don't notice that it is never underdressed males, but little girls that we have to look at.)

Amazon.com rates this book for ages 4 - 8, but the text is difficult and violent, and the admittedly lovely art is appropriate for graphic novels in the _Sandman_ vein, not for kids.

Yes, it is a lovely story, yes, it was dark to begin with, and no it is not a children's book.

Good translation, pretty (aside from the gratuitousness) illustrations earn 2 stars.