Do you believe in mermaids?
I’m ambiguous about the matter, but I suppose I am willing to suspend my disbelief. Here’s why: when I was a little girl, I really wanted to have Sea-Monkeys. If you were a kid in the 1960s and liked to read comic books, you’ll remember the images of Sea-Monkey families smiling at you from the comic book ads. I don’t understand why, but I could never convince my mom to send money through the mail so that I could have my very own Sea-Monkey family. Oh well, I guess we all have our childhood disappointments.
Anyway, back to mermaids. I can’t prove that happy Sea-Monkeys are real (thanks, Mom), so I can’t prove that mermaids are real; therefore, I devote this mermaid-themed column to something that may — or may not — exist. I do this because a new, live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” has been produced by Walt Disney Pictures and is currently showing in theaters. The DVD edition of the film will be released in September, and the library already has it on order for patrons to place holds. While waiting for the DVD release in the fall, be sure to search the title “The Little Mermaid” in the library’s catalog (www.fvrl.org). Thanks to Hans Christian Andersen and his authorship of the “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale, a variety of books and DVDs are already available to readers and viewers alike.
I hope that the Sea-Monkeys and the Little Mermaid are living in harmony in the deep blue sea.
- “5-Minute, The Little Mermaid Stories” published by Disney Books. (call number E FIVE)
- “The Little Mermaid” [DVD] released by Disney in 1989. (call number DVD J LITTLE)
- “The Little Mermaid: Make a Splash” adapted by Ashley Franklin, illustrated by Paul Kellam. (E FRANKLI)
- “The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes and Projects” by Carolyn Turgeon. (call number 398.21 TURGEON)
- “Usborne Illustrated Stories of Mermaids” illustrated by Margarita Kukhtina. (call number J USBORNE)
