Once Upon a Mermaid's Tail By Beatrice Blue


This is a beautifully illustrated picture book encouraging children to look after all the plants and animals on our planet. I loved the story of Theodore, the little boy who loved to collect all kinds of different fish. On finding a special little creature (the mermaid) he was desperate to keep her but unfortunately she could only survive and thrive in the ocean. So many children will relate to this story and I would definitely use it in school with Early Years or Key Stage One children. As well as discussing the important messages that come out of the story I could imagine doing some lovely creative artwork using some of the lovely illustrations in the book. Thank you to Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for this eARC. 40 Although the illustrations are as gorgeous as ever, there is a tonal dissonance between the story itself, the characters, the target audience, and the message it wants to convey.
I'm giving it 4 stars because I understand what Beatrice Blue wants to convey, but I think that the concept of the book could have been refined further.
My 3 yo nephew did not want to read this more than twice because he was uncomfortable with the dynamic between Theodore and Oceanne - that one bit of the story I could not change, since the pictures were pretty difficult to deny/contradict.
Before reading this to a child, I recommend the adults give it a read to see if they can adapt it to be more suitable for their child's needs. 40 Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail is an absolutely stunning book with a very important story. It’s heartwarming and enchanting and gives a powerful message that seems more relevant today than it ever has.

Using the concept of how mermaids got their tails, the story is handled brilliantly and is one that readers of different ages will take something different from. For younger readers, it talks about the importance of looking after animals and our seas and oceans, and for older readers it’s more about suitability, both of which are vital messages.

The illustration and bright colours are absolutely gorgeous and I love that every single sea creatures looks different. The attention to detail is truly impressive and this would be a wonderful book for any child to have on their shelf. 40 Troisième membre de la fratrie Il était une fois... de l'autrice Beatrice blue, après Le feu du dragon et La corne de la licorne, cette fois, on le devine, il est question de sirènes!

Théodore adore les créatures de la mer, parce qu'elle ont de jolies écailles. Il les collectionne dans divers contenants de verre plus ou moins étroits, qui s'amassent dans sa chambre. Un jour, il trouve dans l'océan une petite créature humanoïde à la chevelure d'algues, en suspension dans une sphère translucide. Celle dernière est brisée. Croyant pouvoir en prendre soin, Théodore se fait néanmoins interpeler par une mystérieuse voix, qui l'enjoint à ne pas sortir la petite créature hors de l'océan, mais en vain. Une fois chez le jeune garçon, l'entité aquatique dépéri progressivement et un jour, elle semble avoir trépasser. Accablé de remords, Théo entend à nouveau la voix impérieuse qui l'avait mit en garde, cette fois pour lui apprendre qu'il est la voix de l'Océan elle-même et que pour sauver ce petit être, il lui faut regagner son habitat naturel. Théo regagne donc l'étendu d'eau, déchaîné par la colère et finit projeté sous les flots. Il attend que la petite reprenne de la vigueur, mais cela semble vain.

*À partir d'ici, il y a des divulgâches.

À un moment, un poisson s'approche et confie à la petite une écaille. Un autre vient faire de même, puis un autre. Bientôt, la petite créature reprend vie, sous les traits d'une créature à longue queue d'écailles multicolores: une sirène! Depuis ce temps, si Théo veut profiter des beautés de l'océan, il n'a qu'a le rejoindre. Tous ces pensionnaires capturés ont regagner le large et c'est parfait ainsi.

Une histoire sur le respect de la nature, donc, qui rejoint la joyeuse mêlée d'albums et documentaire innombrables sur le thème de la préservation des océans. Quoique cette fois-ci on nous épargne le plastique très souvent associé. Ici, on reste dans quelque chose de sobre: l'enfant collectionneur de créatures vivantes. Ah, les enfants qui collectionnent araignées, insectes et autres petits êtres dans de vieux pots de beurre de cacahouètes, on connait et on a souvent la même fin: ils meurent desséchés et affamés. Les enfants oublient ou ignorent que les êtres vivants sont au final toujours mieux dans leur habitat naturels, avec leur espace, leur sources de nourriture et leur biodiversité.

Un autre bel album tout en couleurs fabuleuses et au graphisme doux dont il est difficile de ne pas être sensible. J'aime beaucoup le rendu de la sirène, avec sa peau bleue, ses yeux un peu étranges et sa chevelure en algues. Aussi, le passage où les poissons offrent une écaille pour la sauver un un moment touchant,en plus d'être une belle leçon de partage.

À voir!

Catégorisation: Album fiction, littérature jeunesse préscolaire, 4-5 ans
Note: 8/10 40 »»» A compra:
Como fã desta autora/ilustradora tinha que comprar o novo livro da Minotauro, ainda que tenha esperado por um pequeno desconto na loja da Fnac.

»»» A aventura:
Tomás coleciona peixes vivos em casa, nos seus vários aquários. Ele adora-os.
Um dia, no seu pequeno barco, descobre um colorido espécime nunca visto, uma pequena sereia, e fica contentíssimo ao levá-la para casa.
Por muito cuidado que Tomás tenha com a pequena sereia, com o passar do tempo ela começa a definhar e uma voz relembra-o que ela pertence ao oceano.
Tomás terá que tomar uma decisão difícil, mas poderá não ir a tempo…

»»» Sentimento final:
Maravilhoso, como todas as obras da Beatrice.
A história é fofa, tem uma mensagem bonita e, claro, o desenho da autora é muito ternurento.
O prémio, porém, vai para o quão colorido este livro é. Um festim para os olhos.
Siga o próximo.

»»» Nota final (capa e outras considerações):
--- [Capa] – A capa é fantástica, especialmente nas cores, e bem representativa da arte interior.
--- [Desenho] – Muito bom, ainda que não seja um traço mais elegante, mas funciona num livro para crianças e na história. De sublinhar a mestria da mudança de tonalidades entre as partes em que a sereia está bem e aquelas em que começa a enfraquecer, bem como no desenho da gabardine transparente de Tomás. Um mimo.
--- [Edição capa dura] – Parabéns à editora por nos dar uma edição deste livro em Portugal. Sou fã das versões de capa dura e tento sempre apoiar a publicação em Portugal e os meus autores comprando os livros portugueses. Porém, com a conjuntura recente, a minha bolsa não acompanhou o encarecimento da produção de livros e vejo que mesmo livros como este, para crianças (e fãs de ilustração e de uma boa história, como eu!), se tornaram menos fáceis de adquirir, ao ponto de serem mais caros que edições estrangeiras em capa mole. Perdoem-me, precisava deste desabafo.

»»» Uma espreitadela:






40

Once

FREE READ Once Upon a Mermaid's Tail

From the author of the Waterstones Children's Prize shortlisted Once Upon a Unicorn Horn comes a beautiful story of friendship and protecting the oceans.

Theodore has a little boat and a big passion: collecting fish. He loves nothing better than discovering a new fish for his collection. But one day, he finds something he's never seen before: a tiny creature in a beautiful shell. Ignoring the voice that tells him to leave her alone, he takes her home, but in a tank she gets weaker and weaker. Can Theodore learn that the creature belongs in the ocean, before it's too late?

This heart-warming story about how mermaids got their tails is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed and best-selling Once Upon A Unicorn Horn and Once Upon a Dragon's Fire. Once Upon a Mermaid's Tail

Des illustrations magnifiques
Une histoire pour transmettre de belles valeurs à nos enfants 💙 40 This is a story of a boy who collects sea creatures and ends up taking the mermaid. It gets sick so he releases her into the ocean again and then become friends. 40 Très belle histoire 😍😍 40 Πρόσφατη απόκτηση με τον μικρό.
Η εικονογράφηση και το εξώφυλλο, του ονείρου!!!
Η ιστορία υπέροχη και με πολύ ωραίο μήνυμα για τα παιδιά!
Θα την ψάξουμε και άλλο την συγγραφέα σίγουρα. ❤️❤️❤️ 40 Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail by Beatrice Blue is a lovely little tale with a good message. The illustrations are colourful and beautiful.
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this. 40