HOW TO SPOT A MERMAID

Finding these underwater creatures requires patience and a bit of luck.

An unseen narrator notes that mermaids might dwell in an ocean, a lake, a river, a stream, a reservoir, or even a puddle. As a child gathers binoculars and a field guide, the text warns, “Mermaids are quite shy, / and they don’t / make friends easily.” The narrator keeps up a tongue-in-cheek tone, advising the light-skinned, dark-haired child to “pack a package of Goldfish crackers” to share with the mermaid. Brisk directions such as where to sit alternate with more subtle, speculative musings. If you see a water ripple, it might be a wave, a fish, insects, “or a shark. / Or a whale. // But it could be a mermaid.” While Yolen drolly avoids overpromising, she does ponder the prospect of friendship with a mermaid, who may “sit beside you on the rock” and “speak to you, finger to finger, / the way mermaids talk / beneath the sea. / Or…simply / dive back under the water / with a splash of her tail.” After all, “Friendship is a long promise. / It starts with a glance and grows.” Even if this creature’s not ready for that, “you will still have seen a mermaid. // And she will have seen you.” Deng’s lovely pictures depict diverse mermaids in flowing, sea-green swaths, swimming, diving, and even waving to a potential (human) friend.

A sweet addition to mermaid lore.