Suki and the Mermaid by Robert D. San Souci

Book Type: Children's Literature
Author: Robert D. San Souci
Pages: 32

Summary(amazon.com):
Sukey's new step-pa is a mean, bossy man. Every day Sukey wakes at dawn to work in the garden. All her step-pa ever does is watch her and yell if she so much as stops to fan herself. Sukey's ma calls him Mister Jones. Sukey prefers the name "Mister Hard-Times."

Son one day, Sukey runs away to her secret place by the ocean. There, she calls up Mama Jo, a beautiful black mermaid. Mama Jo's got a surprise for Sukey; a magical kingdom beneath the sea without time or pain. But it's also without people. Is it really better than the world above?

My Review:

I had heard from other people that this was a great book, however I was slightly disappointed. At first, I thought this book was about the famous African water spirit called Mammi Wata, but this is actually an African American story. This book just didn't do much for me, and it was slightly depressing. As for the art, it did have some nice elements but it wasn't my style. I give this book    (***) 3 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

How To Draw The Little Mermaid by Philo Barnhart and Diana Wakeman

Book Type: How To Draw Mermaids/ Art Book
Author: Philo Barnhart and Diana Wakeman
Pages: 40

Summary(amazon.com):
Artists both young and old will enjoy re-creating Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and the rest of their underwater friends. With step-by-step instructions, professional Disney artists demonstrate how easy it can be to render favorite characters from the animated featured film. Aspiring artists will learn how to draw the featured characters in a variety of poses and moods as they also discover interesting facts about the movie. Learn to Draw the Little Mermaid shows just how fun the world of cartooning can be!

My Review:
I bought this book a while back after I discovered it at my local library. I think this book is perfect for learning the steps to drawing the characters. Ever since I started practicing drawing Ariel, my mermaids have began to look better and the tails have taken a better shape as well! Some of the characters include Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, Ursula and Eric. There is also some intro information about the movie, such as background history. If you are an artist or a fan of The Little Mermaid, I definitely recommend checking this book out. I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

The Art Of The Little Mermaid by Jeff Kurtti

Book Type: Art Book
Author: Jeff Kurtii
Pages: 191

Summary:
I could not give you a summary, since I couldn't find one. This book is basically the art, story and concepts of The Little Mermaid

My Review:
Even though this book has been getting horrible reviews online, I thought It was a beautifully made book. Most people were complaining about the price, which I do admit, the book is a bit expensive, especially since the book is small. However, this book is filled with brilliant screenshots with captions, concept art as well as commentary in the back of the book on the art and concepts throughout the movie. If you are a really big fan of The Little Mermaid movie, this book is definitely for you. I love the movie, so this was a perfect addition to my collection. I give this book  (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

A Book Of Mermaids by Ruth Manning Sanders

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay on newest mermaid reviews! I was one of the many who encountered the forces of hurricane Sandy, which lead to no power or Internet for over 12 days!!

Book Type: Collection Of Short Stories
Author: Ruth Manning Sanders
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):
Stories about mermaids come from almost every country by the sea--from Iceland to India, America to Arabia. In these sixteen stories, Ruth Manning-Sanders captures the quirky personalities of mermaids and mermen, recounting their marvelous schemes and adventures with a master story-teller's eye for detail. This beloved and classic work, with stunning illustrations by Robin Jacques, has been out of print for decades. All fans of mermaid lore will celebrate this new, affordable paperback edition.
                                                                                My Review:
Since I had no power, I figured I would catch up on my reading for this blog. However, I was disappointed when I finished this book. The book was just plain boring, and lacked the mystical mermaid charm that we as mer-readers get excited about. The mermaids in each story seemed to posses very similar characteristics, such as generosity, being mischievous and of course, beautiful and charming. From this, the book became boring all too quickly. I do have to give the book credit on being culturally diverse though. It offers stories from a variety of countries, so if any of you readers are interested in mermaid stories like this, then I recommend this book for you. However, for my taste, I found this book a bit bland. I found another book very similar to this one, titled The mermaid reader, and of mermen, Nixie's, water-nymphs, sea sirens, sea-serpents, sprites and kindred creatures of the deep. Here is the cover if you are interested:


I must inform you though,I honestly could not even finish the second book, since it was terribly similar to the book above. I would give both of these books (**) 2 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie