#402 - Mermaids in the Moonlight
by Sharanya Manivannan
“Mermaids in the Moonlight” by Sharanya Manivannan. Published by Red Panda. An enchanting collection of folklore of mermaids from around the world with beautiful and magical illustrations.
Nilavoli and her Amma (mother) go on a boat ride down the lagoon in Mattakalappu (in Sri Lanka) on a full moon night. They are on a special quest. Little Nilavoli has heard about mermaids singing on full moon nights in the lagoon and that one can hear them if they dip an oar into the water and keep the other end close to their ear. She is curious and eager to know the stories of mermaids from her Amma. She listens in wonder as Amma tells her whatever she knows about the mermaids, mer-creatures and marine spirits.
Amma dives into the folklore from the world and fishes out tales of mystery and fantasy. From a royal mermaid of Luxembourg, to the sea goddess of Brazil who comforts people in distress at sea, to Sedna of Arctic Circle who ended up becoming a sea goddess, there are stories of varieties of mermaids. And some of them have the magical ability to change their shape to be able to live on both land and sea. There is also a princess mermaid called Suvarnamaccha who was the daughter of Ravana and fell in love with Hanuman. Read the book steeped in magic to dive into the fantasy world of mermaids and go on an incredible journey around the world.
My almost nine year old and I liked reading the book. Initially he did not want to read the book as he wasn’t interested in knowing about the mermaids. I had picked up the book as I found the topic quite unusual and intriguing. I told him to try reading the book and stop if he doesn’t like it. As we started reading the stories of the mermaids, he began to feel curious and wanted to read on. The accompanying illustrations added a lovely touch to the magical stories. At the end, he was happy that he had read about something new and found the tales quite imaginative :) The stories are filled with magic, enchantment, adventure and dreams. They take the reader on a one of its kind voyage across various oceans and countries. It is amazing to wonder how stories like these have become an integral part of the folklore of these places on the coasts all across the world. They seem to signify the importance of both land and sea in the lives of the people from those places.
This was our first book set in Sri Lanka if you leave apart the Ramayana. It was a surprise for us to spot a story from the Ramayana as well which we had never heard before. I found out later that this story is found in the south-east Asian versions of Ramayana and popular in Thailand especially. And it is quite interesting to know that the paintings of Suvarnamaccha are used as lucky charms in the shops and homes of Thailand.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6 and above.
Reasons to Reading
The book gives a glimpse into many mermaid folklore stories from around the world.