12 More Books All About Mermaids
The new Little Mermaid just recently released in movie theaters! And with it comes a renewed excitement about merfolk and their lives under the sea. Just last year when the trailer was released, I pulled together a quick list of some mermaid picture books. Today, I wanted to expand that list and include some titles for older readers as well. Below, you’ll see 12 more books all about mermaids. No repeats from the previous list and a bunch of chapter book and middle grade titles too.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
12 More Books All About Mermaids
Mermaids Are Real! by Holly Hatam
Gemstone and sparkles and coral, oh my! That’s what mermaids are made of! But did you also know that mermaids are vegetarian, or that they can control the weather on the seas? Mermaid lovers will be tickled to learn all sorts of “facts” about these beloved beings in #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Holly Hatam’s latest Mythical Creatures Are Real board book.
Harmony & Echo: The Mermaid Ballet by Brigette Barrager
Harmony is chill. She is carefree and fun and loves to stop and smell the sea flowers. Echo is a worrier. She can always find something to fuss about. As her best friend, Harmony is determined for Echo to enjoy their debut performance in the Mermaid Ballet.
In a magical water world, the two mermaids practice their steps again and again. They dive through the water like seals, spin in circles like minnows, slither like eels, and more. But Echo is still worried that she’ll forget everything as soon as she faces the audience. So Harmony decides that they should share a secret hand squeeze, one that tells Echo You are fine, you are okay, I’m right next to you. At the crucial moment when Echo is about to stumble, will their plan work so she gets all the moves correct?
How to Meet a Mermaid by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Simona Sanfilippo
Mermaids are rarely seen, and even more rarely met. But, if you gather some natural craft supplies—shells, coral, driftwood, and sea glass—and make her a gift, you might just befriend one!
Will you spot a mermaid in the waves just off shore? If you do, will you be ready? By being observant, resourceful, and friendly, you can make a beautiful crown from natural beach materials that will show your new mermaid friend you truly care. Perhaps she’ll take you on an incredible adventure through the ocean’s depths, past ancient shipwrecks, and to her shell castle! You just might experience what it’s like to be a mermaid yourself!
Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland by Marianne McShane and Jordi Solano
Long ago, on the eastern coast of Ireland, a monk from the Abbey of Bangor was collecting driftwood along the wave-tossed shore when he found a boy washed up amid a circle of seals. At first the boy, wrapped in a shawl of woven seagrass, could barely move or speak. But when he regained his strength, he recalled being brought ashore by a lady with long golden hair who sang him to safety and gave him a silver ring. The monks knew the legend of a mermaid who had wandered the coast for three hundred years. Could it possibly have been her?
Inspired by a story told in medieval chronicles of Irish history about a wondrous happening in the year 558, debut author Marianne McShane weaves a captivating tale, while Jordi Solano captures the legend’s spare but welcoming abbey on the rocky shore — a setting that makes you believe that if you listen hard enough, you too can hear the mermaid’s song.
Mermaid Days: The Sunken Ship by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kat Uno
wim along with mermaid Vera and octo-kid Beaker! In these three stories, Vera and Beaker go on adventures in their town of Tidal Grove. They explore a sunken ship, and Vera helps Beaker with an unusual octopus problem.
Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
The Princess in Black and her friends are enjoying a day of sun and sea on Princess Sneezewort’s royal boat when a real, live mermaid princess emerges from the waves! Eeeeeee! Princess Posy needs their help protecting her very cute sea goats from being eaten by a very greedy kraken. But the princesses and the Goat Avenger quickly realize that fighting underwater can be tough for land dwellers, and only the mermaid Princess Posy can save the day. Can the masked heroes help her learn that being a princess means more than just being nice—it means speaking up?
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe. When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin’s arrow poisons Sera’s mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin’s master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world’s very existence.
Fish Girl by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by David Wiesner
The triple Caldecott winner David Wiesner brings his rich visual imagination and trademark artistry to the graphic novel format in a unique coming-of-age tale that begins underwater. A young mermaid, called Fish Girl, in a boardwalk aquarium has a chance encounter with an ordinary girl. Their growing friendship inspires Fish Girl’s longing for freedom, independence, and a life beyond the aquarium tank. Sparkling with humor and brilliantly visualized, Fish Girl’s story will resonate with every young person facing the challenges and rewards of growing up.
Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron
Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis is not the kind of kid who believes in fairies, unicorns, or even the word “maybe.” She’s more of a comic-books girl. So when her mom brings her to Thunder Lake for a summer at the Showboat Resort, she doesn’t believe the local rumors about the Boulay Mermaid.
Anthoni has bigger fish to fry. She’s always wanted a True Blue Friend. But it’s been hard to find one, since for the past five years she’s been bouncing from town to town, helping her mother sell Beauty & the Bee cosmetic products to keep them both afloat. This summer will be different, though. Anthoni has a plan—a foolproof checklist for making lifelong friends! There won’t be any maybes this time.
But as she grows entangled in local gossip, and her mother stretches the truth, Anthoni must decide if she’ll “stick to the plan,” like always, or dive into a summer full of extraordinary possibilities.
Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Deep beneath the waves, a great enemy awakens . . .
Corinne LaMer defeated the wicked jumbie Severine months ago, but things haven’t exactly gone back to normal in her Caribbean island home. Everyone knows Corinne is half-jumbie, and many of her neighbors treat her with mistrust. When local children begin to go missing, snatched from the beach and vanishing into wells, suspicious eyes turn to Corinne.
To rescue the missing children and clear her own name, Corinne goes deep into the ocean to find Mama D’Leau, the dangerous jumbie who rules the sea. But Mama D’Leau’s help comes with a price. Corinne and her friends Dru, Bouki, and Malik must travel with mermaids across the ocean to fetch a powerful object for Mama D’Leau. The only thing more perilous than Corinne’s adventures across the sea is the jumbie that waits for her back home.
With action-packed storytelling and inventive twists on Caribbean and West African mythology and fairy tales, Rise of the Jumbies is a breathlessly exciting tale of courage and friendship.
Sea Siren by Amy Chu, illustrated by Janet K. Lee
Trot, a Vietnamese American surfer girl, and Cap’n Bill, her cranky one-eyed cat, catch too big a wave and wipe out, sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom where an ancient deep-sea battle rages. The beautiful Sea Siren mermaids are under attack from the Serpent King and his slithery minions–and Trot and her feline become dangerously entangled in this war of tails and fins.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery — about her own identity, the mysterious father she’s never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water’s surface. With a sure sense of suspense and richly imaginative details, first-time author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident — an enchanting fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love.
