Elspeth Lorraine

I am always in awe of author/illustrators and their ability to tell a story twice. Because that’s really the relationship between art and words in picture books. Two different stories within one book. The Mermaid Moon is a tale (tail?) of friendship between mermaid Merrin and human Molly. They play together as best they can in the water, but finally get the chance to both play on land with the rising of "The Mermaid Moon”. One night a year on “The Mermaid Moon”, Merrin and the sea creatures rise out of the sea to explore. Merrin must be back in the sea before the moon disappears or her scales will dry and the cove she lives in will lose it’s magic. My 3 week old nephew and I read this together and it gave him the hiccups. I am choosing to believe that the excitement in the book was too much for his small body to regulate. 

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Bits and Pieces: Briony’s illustrations shine here with lush blues, teals and greens. She has a way of making the mermaid’s tails shimmery and shiny with her use of mixed media. 

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Not Sure About: I wish we’d had more time underwater. The village the girls explored was cute, but Merrin’s house and the sea floor was gorgeous. I wanted more pictures of that! 

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Favorite Part: Merrin’s snuggly little cave bed. Also her hair. When she’s underwater there’s a lovely sense of motion in her red hair.