The Little Mermaid (Hardcover)

~ Hans Christian Andersen (Author), (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For Sulamith Wülfing, the world of fairy tales was always an inspiration for her beautiful paintings. Above all, she loved Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, with its poetic language and its poignant understanding of the transforming power of love. For children and adults alike.

“The exquisite paintings by Sulamith Wülfing perfectly evoke the magical world of the little mermaid.”
—Yoga Journal

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German, Danish

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Amber Lotus (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885394179
• ISBN-13: 978-1885394170
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,426,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #78 in

  Books > Children's Books > Popular Characters > Fairy Tales & Folk Tales > Little Mermaid

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best rendering of this story I have ever seen, April 18, 2002

By	F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most reviews here are NOT about this book!, June 19, 2003

By	R. M. Valois (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Tale Review, May 3, 2000

By	Bryan Robinson (colorado) - See all my reviews

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.