The mermaid moon by Briony May Smith

Two best friends, Merrin and Molly live at a seaside village, Merrin in the harbour because she is a mermaid, and Molly in a house in the town. They play together, surfing, diving to the sea caves, following the dolphins but Merrin cannot come to her friend’s house. But all is excitement in the village as the Mermaid Moon is coming which means that all sea creatures can be on land until the moon’s reflection disappears from the sea. The girls are so excited. Merrin thinks about the Mermaid Moon and finds herself flying with the fish into the decorated town, where Molly is waiting for her. Molly wants her to stay over but Merrin cannot do this, so the two go off together determined to fit lots of things into their night together. Merrin tries chocolate for the first times and Molly gives her a bracelet she bought for her. Then as the moon is beginning to sink, the girls go into Molly’s bedroom where they chat and laugh, but going into the garden, Merrin realises that the moon has almost gone. They race to towards the sea, horrified that Merrin may be caught on land, but she sings a song her mother taught her and a whale comes along to help her back into the sea. Merrin returns to the sea just in time while Molly watches form the harbour wall. The girls hug each other thinking about the Mermaid Moon next year when they can be together again.

This charming story of friendship will strum at the hearts of the readers, wanting the two girls to be together but knowing the constraints of their relationship. The idea of being friends with a mermaid is just wonderful and readers will recall stories of mermaids, to share. Older readers may like to read Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid to compare the tales, or watch the Disney version of this story. There are many Cornish stories of mermaids and some can be found here.

Children will be delighted with the wonderfully evocative illustrations. The girls are lovingly portrayed, and readers will love thinking about their similarities and differences. The setting is astounding, with the images of Merrin’s home almost believable. A number of double page images are outstanding: the opening image of the girls talking to each other, the girls flying over the lit up town and the girls flying over the village on the whale’s back, each is vivid and richly detailed, redolent of the Cornish countryside which the writer loves. 

A wonderful read aloud, children will hang on to every word, wanting Merrin to return to her home in the  sea before her scales deteriorate and she is stuck on land.

Themes: Friendship, Mermaids, Cornwall, Myths.

Fran Knight