The Little Mermaid

Jerry Pinkney removes the romance from "The Little Mermaid," and he doesn't really land the ending. (The mermaid gets separated from her terrestrial friend forever, which seems problematic.)

But, anyway, I'm including some images here from Pinkney's book, because they're so stunning. The mermaid breaks the surface of the water--surrounded by flying fish, living exclamation points. A taskmaster turtle leads a reluctant girl to her chores. The sun seems to set the waves on fire. An undersea kingdom peaks out from behind a mess of bright coral and fish.

"God is in the details"--and Pinkney clearly takes such care to invent all of the wrinkles on his weary turtle's neck. "Let form match content": The yellows surrounding the mermaid seem to suggest an explosion, when the mermaid pushes out of the water, up toward land.

I still recommend this book, even if there are some choices I--as "storyteller"--wouldn't make.

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