A Natural History of Mermaids by Emily Hawkins - Book Review

A Natural History of Mermaids by Emily Hawkins, Jessica Roux (Illustrations)

Publication Date: 6th Sep 2022

Genre: Children's Books 

4.5 Stars

I love it! 

In 1880, The British Society of Natural Sciences received a letter from a mysterious lady scientist, Darcy Delamare, about her adventurous trip and the discovery of mermaids. Darcy Delamare sailed aboard the HMS Challenger as Daniel Dawson (in disguise because men didn’t like women in the field of science) in December 1872. This book contains her notes and observations about the scientific voyage and mermaids from around the world. 

A Natural History of Mermaids is what I’d call an encyclopedia of mermaids. Darcy Delamare starts with a brief history of mermaids in different cultures (Mesopotamia - Oannes, Syria - Atargatis, Greek – Triton, etc.). She goes on to provide information about the types of mer (maids and men) in different regions (from the Arctic to Tropical and Deepwater). She mentions fake mermaid sightings and captures as well. 

Do you know: 

• There are mer in the Polar Regions, and some look like walrus.  

• Mer has ten types of tails! 

• Mer lay eggs but feed milk to kiddo mers (these littles are the cutest, I tell you). 

• Mers migrate and can sleep when standing. 

• They are friends with sea horses and use hand signs to communicate (they say Namaste to each other!). 

• Mer communication might sound like a song (and, no, they sure don’t sing songs to lure sailors). 

• Ocean forests, mangroves, reefs, etc., provide great camouflage for mer. They need it, too, considering the risk. 

And guess what? The mermaid from Hindu and Thai epics of Ramayana is also mentioned. We call her Suvarchala, a sea maiden (rather a huge fish). The stories of her and Hanuman ji are varied (quite common), but yes, we know her. :) 

The illustrations are fantastic. If they look so so good in an electronic copy, I can imagine how marvelous they would be in a hard copy. Sigh! Mer come in all shapes, sizes, and colors (literally). I like that the mermaids have covering on their chest, be it seaweed, shells, or just hair. The mer tails sparkle on some pages. I could stare at the illustrations for hours and not feel the least bit inclined to close the book. 

I had to reduce 0.5 stars because of the font size. Seriously, publishers, please spare our eyes. Tiny font means I had to change the layout and enlarge it, which makes it difficult to scroll. I’m not sure how the font will be in the physical copy. The book dimensions need to be fairly big for kids to read without squinting at the page. 

The information can be overwhelming if you read the book in one go. Spread it over a week or more to enjoy the book to its fullest. The bits of dry humor act like perfect seasoning. The book does end on a bittersweet note, a small reminder about the unfairness of society, but, oh, well. 

To sum up, A Natural History of Mermaids is THE book for kids who love mermaids and aquatic life. There’s so much to learn, not just about mer but also about the seas and oceans. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books. 

#ANaturalHistoryofMermaids #NetGalley

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P.S: There’s no upper age limit for this book. Grab it if you like mermaids. ;)