I Am a Meadow Mermaid

Tundra (Penguin Random House Canada)

Written by Kallie George

Illustrated by Elly MacKay

2023

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A farm girl with a big imagination turns her landlocked home into an ocean playground in this dreamy picture book for little mermaids everywhere.

A little girl dreams of adventures in the water and feels the spirit of the ocean all around her . . . even though she lives on the prairie, with flat land as far as the eye can see. But she won't let a little detail like that stand in the way of being a meadow mermaid! Frolicking in the "waves" of wheat and "oceans" of grass, spying sea horses and . . . a shipwrecked sailor? Even if that shipwreck is actually an overturned bike and the sailor a new kid from a neighboring field, it's still a chance to make a new friend, one with an imagination as expansive and a love of the ocean as deep as the little girl's own.

This fanciful, whimsical picture book will charm young mermaids and little pirates everywhere, and inspire them to embrace the spirit of the ocean in the things around them, no matter where they live!

Part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library!

"A whimsical homage to imaginary play and friendship. . . . Joyful and memorable." —Kirkus Reviews

"Poetic in an unpretentious way, George’s graceful text uses apt imagery and reads aloud beautifully. MacKay’s artwork, created by photographing paper dioramas, helps viewers imagine the meadow mermaid’s moments of drama as well as her magical surroundings. . . . This enjoyable picture book celebrates the power of a child’s imagination." —Booklist

"This wonderful picture book will have you longing for the adventure and imagination of childhood. Children and parents will be swept away." —Story Monsters Ink

“[A] beautiful celebration of waving wheat fields and starlit nights, and also a tribute to the friendship between two children.” —Winnipeg Free Press

"With a beautiful and poetic narrative arc told by a meadow mermaid, this awe-inspiring tale sends a message to young readers that anything is possible so long as you believe." —Young Adulting