What happens if you catch a mermaid

Mermaids have long captured the imagination of the public. Sometimes these seafaring fish-ladies come to the aid of men helpful! Here are a few "facts" about these mythical creatures you might want to know before your next boat trip. She was a fertility goddess whose cult eventually spread to Greece and Rome and was associated with water especially lakes and fish. Often depicted in mermaid form, Atargatis is perhaps the "original" mermaid.

Legend has it that she dove into a lake to become a fish, but only her bottom half was transformed. Before anyone dreamed of a mermaid, the "merman" was front and center. The Babylonian god Oannes predates the Syrian mermaid Atargatis by several thousand years. Apparently he had both a fish body and a human body.

His human form was beneath his fish form, which allowed him to live among men, as well as in the sea. In Old English, "mer" means "sea," and "maid" simply meant woman. Mermaids are therefore " women of the sea. Mermaids and mermen are fish-like people who swim through the oceans and the seas.

In some of the legends of the Pacific Islands, it is said that human beings are descended from both mermaids and mermen. It seems somewhere back in time, their tails somehow dropped off, and people were magically able to walk on land. A good example of this is the creator god Vatea , who was usually depicted as being half-human and half-fish. Aquamarine is the gemstone of the sea, and it's supposed to be a cherished object for mermaids. In addition to being treasure, people once believed this gemstone came from the tears of mermaids, and it used to be thought had the power to protect sailors when they were at sea, or when they fell into the water.

Apparently Starbucks had to tone down its original logo art. The story is about a little girl, named Eliza, who is scared of playing with other children and hopes her father will fish her a mermaid. One day Eliza meets a mermaid, named Freya, who has lost her mirror that allows her to return to the ocean. The overall story of the book is based on loneliness and friendship. Eliza desperately wants to have a friend and does not want Freya to have her mirror back.

It is a wonderful story of doing what is right and the overall power of love. At the end, it is left on a very ambiguous and thought-provoking note - a great discussion point! The text fits well with the story with the words swirling around the whirlpool in the sea or shaped like sound waves when you hear the mermaid singing through the shell. The pictures and text feel like a process as there is a clear relationship between them. As a result, the book is enticing, you can find hidden things and try to predict what is going to happen next.

While it is a text heavy book for young children, the language is highly descriptive and flows well. The active participation of the children reading or listening to the book would develop their vocabulary and cause interesting discussions on the meaning of certain words and the feelings of certain characters.

I can see this being an engaging book to use in Key Stage 1 classes that could be used in a variety of ways. Nov 24, Annie Kennedy added it Shelves: picture-books.

This is a magical and beautifully illustrated book. It is about a little girl who is scared of playing with other children and waits for her father a fisherman to come home in the hope he will bring a mermaid back to her.

One day she comes across a mermaid who gives her a shell that sings to her. Eliza takes her mirror that allows her to return to the ocean. She finally gives it back to her so she can go back to the ocean and encourages her to play with other children. The book is about friend This is a magical and beautifully illustrated book. The book is about friendship and the gift of giving. I love how the book is left on a thought as to whether or not the mermaid was real or just her reflection a good discussion point.

This would be great to use in english where the children could write descriptive pieces of writing on what the mermaids home is like in the 'magical sea. Aug 08, Isobel rated it it was amazing Shelves: eyfs-ks1 , pshe , friendship , traditional-tales , favorites. The narrative is simple and interesting and therefore children may relate to the story. The text flows well and the text is set out with shapes representing themes in the book such as wave and a whirpool.

How is the story told? Before the story begins it tells the reader about what is going to happen in the book. The story itself could be told as a tale. How do the words and the pictures work together? The words and pictures work together because the text links to the picture.

For example, when the text talks about the terrible storm they illustrations show the effects of the storm; the swirling and crashing of the waves against the harbour. The texts talks about the seaside, the illustrations clearly show the reader what the text is describing. What experiences of the world does then reader need to bring to the text?

In the story there are lots of themes of friendship and love, so the reader would need to bring these experiences to understand the powerful message of the relationship between the two girls, Eliza and her father tom and Freya and her mother. The book is full of seaside pictures, so the reader could bring their experiences of the beach to the story.

The teacher could discuss with the children what they found on the beach and then link their experiences to the text. What techniques can be seen in the pictures?

The beautifully drawn pictures are illustrated with deep blues, turquoise and purple, I think they help the reader to understand the key moments in the book and help the reader to visualise what the seaside may be like if they have never been to the seaside before.

Are there any patterns in the story? The pictures show a pattern, as the book is illustrated with deep blues and turquoise colours to signify the sand and the sea.

The illustrations have patterns because the mermaid is drawn with flowing hair and deep blue colours to signify the ocean. Would this be a good book to read aloud to the class or would it be good for Shared or guided reading? It could be a good read aloud to the class because it is full of questions that may encourage children to think.

The text would be good for guided reading because a variety of events happen in the book. Therefore, the teacher could question the children about certain points in the story that may be important and the children may then start to develop their language comprehension skills.

The text may also be good for shared reading, children could discuss the illustrations in the book and answer the questions that the book asks.

Does the text provide a good model for writing? The text does provide a good model for writing as it is an unusual tale filled with variety of texts such as speech and clear punctuation; full stops, speech marks, question marks.

Therefore, when children write they can use the different types of t The moral of the story is about how friendship and love can be powerful. Eliza struggled to make friends and having her mermaid friend Freya helped her to learn how to play with other children by dancing, singing and being creative with the nature on the beach. Eliza realises that she need her special friend Freya to feel love but she soon realises that her friend needs to be back in the ocean where she belongs with her family that she loves just like Eliza and her father love each other.

I would recommend the story because it gives an important message of love. I also think the illustrations in the book are important as they help signify the key moments in the book, the illustrations are also help the reader to think of and visualise the important moments and characters in the book. Oct 15, Nafisah Khalil rated it really liked it Shelves: picture-books , family , fantasy.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is about a girl and her dad living by the ocean and the girl, Eliza, want to meet a mermaid.

One day she met a girl, Freya, on the beach and they played everyday. Until Freya lost her mirror she had around her neck. This is when Eliza realised that Freya is a mermaid and cannot return home without her mirror as mermaids need something from their home to change their legs back to a tail. All day they looked for the mirror but to no avail could they find it, so Freya had to stay with Eli This book is about a girl and her dad living by the ocean and the girl, Eliza, want to meet a mermaid.

All day they looked for the mirror but to no avail could they find it, so Freya had to stay with Eliza until they did. Eliza, after a few days, found the mirror but didn't want to tell Freya, as she didn't want to lose her friend.

However, Freya was getting ill as she kept searching for her mirror. One day Eliza felt so guilty so when Freya was asleep she placed that mirror in her hand. In the morning Freya had left. But from that day onwards Eliza's dad, who was a fisherman had lots of fish in his net and sometimes when Eliza was out in the oceans she thinks she can see Freya smiling back at her. I loved this books for its detailed illustrations and hooking story. I believe the illustrations are drawn in a way that it pops out of the page with all the glitter.

Children will love this book. I didn't like how Eliza hid the mirror once she found it, as Freya really wanted to go home but couldn't. It was unfair on Freya as she was getting more ill the longer she searched for the mirror. This book can be used in the classroom to show children that you should not take or hid anything you have found and it can be important to someone else.

Dec 28, Felicity rated it it was amazing. This is another book that I loved as a child and would want to include in my ks1 library. This book teaches valuable lessons about doing what is right and also that you are not alone. It is about a lonely girl who wishes to meet a mermaid. She sees another girl sitting by herself on the beach and is drawn to her. The little girl finds the mirror but does not want to return it This is another book that I loved as a child and would want to include in my ks1 library.

The little girl finds the mirror but does not want to return it because that means her new friend will leave her and go back to the sea. Eventually she does the right thing and returns the mirror but she is left with the shell her new friend gave her and she is reminded she will always have a friend in Freya. The images in this book are unusual and beautiful, and this book can be used in many different ways.

One of the ways it can be used is in pshe lessons to teach morals. It can also be used in art or in English where the story can be further explored through drawings or stories.

Beautiful book with a lovely message. Jun 16, Brittany rated it did not like it. Too much text in this book. A picture book for a child shouldn't be this text heavy. Mar 03, Jaimie Morris rated it liked it Shelves: picture-books , children-s-fiction , ks1 , friendship.

Two children spy a mermaid and set out to try and capture her.