The Little Mermaid: The Best Babysitter Under The Sea by Justine Korman

Book Type: Children's Literature

Author: Justine Korman

Pages: 24

Summary(books.google.com): 

Ariel volunteers to babysit with the twins of her father's friends and discovers the job is not as easy as she thought it would be.

My Review:

Being a Little Mermaid fan, I knew I was going to find this book cute even though it is intended for children. I grew up watching The Little Mermaid show on Disney, and I believe this book was based off of one of the episodes (I've been trying to find the show online with no success ) If you have a younger child who loves Ariel as much as I do, they will definitely want to hold on to this in their mer-library. What I also love about the book is that it is full of greatly-colored images that are just as whimsical and gorgeous as the movie or TV show. I mean, you cant have a book on Ariel and her friends without beautiful pictures, right? Even if you are not a child, I think you will enjoy reading this charming short story. I give this book (****) 4 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

Drawing and Painting Mermaids by Elaine Hamer

Book Type: How To Draw Mermaids/ Art Book
Author: Elaine Hamer
Pages: 112

Summary: 
Appealing to mythologists, fantasy artists, and water colorists alike, this project guide includes clear step-by-step instructions for illustrating a variety of mermaids, from sirens of the sea beckoning sailors to their doom to mermaid beauties sunning themselves on a rock. Providing new artists with confidence-building tips and tricks for creating a well-composed piece, Elaine Hamer employs a style informed by the Art Nouveau period and emphasizes proportion, pose, and the details of a mermaid's form above all else. Suggestions for incorporating aspects from the natural world into the artwork are also included, helping artists to perfectly capture the ethereal beauty of these mythological beings.

My Review: 
Although I did not read this book fully as I do other books, I believe it to be a very useful tool for artists like myself! What I really like about this book is that it walks you through the process of creating your own mermaid art and explains the tools, colors, and points of interest. Most of the art in this book is very light and colorful which is not something I personally prefer  however, I do really love the way the tails and scales were colored and drawn out. Whether you love to draw and paint mermaids or if you are simply a collector of art books, I recommend checking out the lovely art work of Elaine Hamer. I give this book (***-****) 3-4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

     

Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk by Jane Yolen

 Book Type: Collection Of Short Stories
Author: Jane Yolen
Pages: 149

Summary(goodreads.com):
A collection of stories and poems which feature merfolk.

My Review:
To start, I would like to say finding a proper summary was a bit difficult, I guess because this book isn't that well known. It really should be though, because each story in this fabulous collection was excellent! When I first saw this, I was intrigued by the romantic cover art, but you really cant judge the pages of a book just by its cover. I thought this book was going to be just another collection of mermaid stories that I have read before, such as Melusine or The Selkie Wife, but these are all original stories created by the author. What I really found interesting about this book was that each story has an ending that is whimsical, and makes the reader really become aware of every little character and detail of the story. Another positive point is that readers who love selkies will love this book since there are plenty of selkie stories. This is one of those books where I am telling you mer-readers out there, you must go pick this up, immediatly! You will enjoy it, and it is a book that will not take a long time to read. I am aware Jane Yolen wrote other books on mermaids, and I will check those out for my readers as well. I give this book (*****) 5 stars, and it is going in my mer-library soon!
-Sirenita The Selkie

My South Carolina Trip: part 2!

Part 2: Shoppin for Mermaids!
Here are some pics of when I went shoppin! Of course I was able to find mermaid stuff!
Here is a collage of mermaid stuff I found when I went shoppin:

A hand made bronze statue

Checking out some new mermaid stuff for my
Collection!

Another lovely lady!

Check back for more reviews and pictures; coming soon!

-Sirenita The Selkie