Julián Is a Mermaid
written and illustrated by
Jessica Love
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Candlewick
Imprint
Candlewick
ISBN
9780763690458
Awards and Honors
2019—2020 Red Clover Award Nominee
2019 Ladybug Picture Book Award Nominee
2019 Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards finalist
2019 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor, Illustrator
MRLS Cream of the Crop - 2019
Rainbow List Choice - 2019
2019 Stonewall Book Award Winner
ALSC Notable Children's Books - 2019
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - 2019
CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Picture Books for Young Children
CSMCL Best Books - 2018
Publishers Weekly Best Books - 2018
CPL Best Books, Picture Books - 2018
Kirkus Best Books, Picture Books - 2018
NYPL Best Books for Kids - 2018
NPR’s Book Concierge - 2018
School Library Journal Best Books - 2018
BCCB Blue Ribbons - 2018
Horn Book Fanfare - 2018
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
40
AR
0.8: points 0.5
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Aug 2018
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Booklist, The Horn Book Magazine*, Kirkus Reviews*, Publishers Weekly*, School Library Journal*, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books*
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
[STARRED REVIEW]
Young Julián lives with his abuela and is obsessed with mermaids. He imagines taking off his clothes, growing a tail, and swimming freely through the blue-tinted water with swirls of fish and stingrays. After spying some women on a train dressed as mermaids, Julián later tells his abuela, “I am also a mermaid,“ then proceeds to wrap a curtain around his waist as a “tail.“ Ferns in his hair complete the fantastical look, and when his grandmother catches him—is he in trouble? Not at all! In fact, she takes Julian to a festival where people are dressed as fantastically as Julian. Love couples the spare narrative with vivid, imaginative, and breathtaking illustrations. VERDICT A heartwarming must-have for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Amanda C. Buschmann, Carroll Elementary School, Houston
Horn Book
[STARRED REVIEW] The front endpapers show a group of older women in a pool and a boy swimming underwater. On the next spread (the copyright and title pages), the child, Juliân, is walking to the subway with one of the women, his abuela, followed by three magnificent-looking people dressed as mermaids. Juliân loves mermaids, and this encounter leads him into a daydream where he dives deep into the water, shedding clothes and transforming himself into a mermaid. Arriving home, the boy creates a makeshift mermaid outfit from household objects (including the leaves of a houseplant and window curtains) and puts on lipstick. When Abuela discovers her gradndson in mermaid attire, there’s a very slight narrative pause: “‘Oh!’ Uh-oh.” How will she react? Happily, it’s all good: Abuela gives Juliân a string of beads to complete the outfit, then the two walk proudly arm in arm toward a festive parade, joining others joyfully dressed as mermaids, stingrays, and other sea creatures (à la Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade). Juliân’s emotional journey takes on depth through small but important details: a wary look in the mirror, a slight inward slump of the shoulders, a chin held high while marching down the street. Love uses vibrant watercolors with gouache and ink and a lively style to create scenes that splash and swirl to life on the page. minh lê
Grades 2-6
City Elementary
For Grades 2-6
Urban situations and plot lines featuring ethnically and culturally diverse characters give these books a unique city flavor and feel. Young urban readers will find familiar images, and readers who are not from the city will enjoy exploring life from a new perspective. The 12 books you'll receive in this category will ensure that urban adventures are available all year long.
12 books per Year
$254.88 per Year
Interests
Diversity,Fiction,Positive Messages
Grades 2-6
City Elementary
12 books per Year
$254.88 per Year
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