Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author), David Wiesner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1982

A collection of stories and poems which feature merfolk.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 149 pages
• Publisher: Daedalus Books; First Edition edition (December 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399209182
• ISBN-13: 978-0399209185
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Obsessions > Mermaids

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neptune Rising... A Wonderful Tale of the Sea, October 26, 2000

By 

Goldiecar (Tacoma, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk (Hardcover)

Neptune Rising is one of those fabulous books that fascinates not only children, but adults as well. The stories themselves weave throughout your head until you too want to become one with the sea and swim with the characters. Jane Yolen transcends most authors' stories of the sea, with both new and old fables in this powerful book. I remember as a child being enthralled with her books, sitting on the floor of my public library for hours. As an adult with my own collection of her works, I escape into that same dreamworld whenever I read Neptune Rising again.