Customer Reviews

A Serenade of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My daughter is fascinated by mermaids. She loved the stories of mermaids from all around the world, all of which were very well written. I recommend this for any child who is interested in mermaids.

The introductions to each story are pretty good, though manydon't connect very well with the story they introduce. I see thisbook being used by the Alaska units for the unusual Alaska mermaidstory. This is a folklore book with good black and white illustrations. Excellent book for the 3rd grade through the 7th grade, and it is also recommended as a good read for teachers.

Originally, I'm not really sure why I purchased this book... I didn't exactly have my heart set on reading this book, but it was cheap and didn't look bad. When the book arrived, it turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.

Unlike other mermaid collections I've read, this one is actually addressed to the little girls who are interested in mermaids, but not so simple as to turn off collecters and scholars. Before each tale is a small summary of information about merfolk in various cultures to set the background for the tale. Nothing extraordinary, but it's kind of nice to get some mermaid trivia. Best of all, the author makes an attempt to get stories from a wide variety of places; there is a story from Switzerland as well as Japan!

I strongly recommend this collection, for it can be enjoyed by anyone.

this book is great for anyone who likes mermaids and a good myth my favorites were about romance of human and merfolk I loved it my favorite mermaid book I have read and believe me I have read alot the pictures were really life like and the book is cheap I just could'nt put it down I would suggest this book for anyone that can read

These well-chosen tales are told in a smooth, enjoyable style. Each tale is prefaced by a good deal of background regarding mermaids of various cultures--always interesting, though sometimes unrelated to the tale. The accompanying illustrations are simple but not unenjoyable. Overall this is the best collection of mermaid tales I've found yet. Although the paperback format makes it less apealing as a gift or keepsake item, I'd still choose this volume over the other mermaid books I've read simply for its readability. I recommend this book not just to those who love mermaids, but also to anyone who loves folklore and good stories.

This book is poorly constructed (physical binding) and is made of cheap paper. The illustrations are not very good, and often do not even depict the story accurately. Two examples are when 1) the story says a mermaid has legs, yet the illustration is of a mermaid with the usual fin and 2) the story says a character has tattoos on his face, yet the illustration does not depict them. The characters in the illustrations also look like stock white faces, regardless of the origin of the story.

For a much better book, both in binding and illustration, I would recommend Mermaid Tales from Around the World by Mary Pope Osborne. The pictures are large and colorful in that book, emulating the style of the area of the world from which the story comes.
Don't waste your money on Serenade of Mermaids.