BWW Picture Book Review: THE MERMAID by Jan Brett

Jan Brett's brand-new novel THE MERMAID is absolutely GORGEOUS, and a must-have for fairy tale lovers everywhere. On the surface, you might think it's a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but you'd be WRONG. It's a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears...except with a mermaid and three octopuses!

I truly hope THE MERMAID gets a Caldecott Honor or Win in January!!! The imagery and detail is so elaborate and gorgeous. It's also diverse, taking place in Okinawa, Japan, which is reflected through the imagery, the names (The mermaid is called Kiniro, and the Octopus family has Ok?san (Mother in Japanese) and Ot?san (Father in Japanese). Their outfits are very traditional as well, and it was so well to see Japanese culture come to life under the sea.

Just look at this stunning art:

I also really loved the nontraditional take on Goldilocks; it made the story fresh and fun and new as each page was turned to see what Kiniro would turn her nose up at next!

Here's my video review of THE MERMAID, with a closer look at some of the great art you'll find in the book:

THE MERMAID by Jan Brett was published on August 22, 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers / Penguin Books.

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