#378 of 1001 · August 13, 2021

The book of the day is The Prince and the Mermaid, a magical tale by Ian Deuchar. After her clan shelters in a forest stream for the winter, a mermaid remains behind in the spring. When she sees a prince visiting the woods, she falls in love with him from afar and one day recites an incantation to transform herself into a human like him. When the young man brings his mysterious new bride to court, his childhood sweetheart grows bitter and vengeful; in her rage and despair, she employs the dark powers of a witch to sow doubt in the prince’s heart and sunder his happy relationship. With eloquent prose and appealing art, Deuchar spins a grand tale of joy, envy, and loss. Though the eponymous lovers are forever separated, the mermaid returns each month at the full moon to watch over her beautiful sleeping son. A note for folklore enthusiasts: the book’s front matter names as the source a story by thirteenth-century German writer Gottfried Von Strassburg, and also cites as an influence the earlier French folktale Mélusine and the Prince. #prince #mermaid #winter #river #moon #witch #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks