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The Mermaid
An under-the-sea version of Goldilocks.
When Kiniro, a young mermaid, comes upon a gorgeous house made of seashells and coral, she is so curious that she goes inside. She's thrilled to find a just-right breakfast, pretty little chair, and, best of all, a comfy bed that rocks in the current.
But when the Octopus family returns home, they are not happy to find that someone has been eating their food and breaking their things. Baby has the biggest shock when she finds the mermaid asleep in her bed! Luckily, shock turns to happiness when Kiniro gives her a thoughtful gift before escaping from the twenty-four arms coming her way.
When Kiniro, a young mermaid, comes upon a gorgeous house made of seashells and coral, she is so curious that she goes inside. She's thrilled to find a just-right breakfast, pretty little chair, and, best of all, a comfy bed that rocks in the current.
But when the Octopus family returns home, they are not happy to find that someone has been eating their food and breaking their things. Baby has the biggest shock when she finds the mermaid asleep in her bed! Luckily, shock turns to happiness when Kiniro gives her a thoughtful gift before escaping from the twenty-four arms coming her way.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 22, 2017
7 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Jan Brett
113 books1,026 followersWith over thirty three million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
--from www.janbrett.com
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
--from www.janbrett.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews
February 16, 2019
Mermaid lovers, this is a story for you. Rejoice.
This is the story of Goldilocks told under the sea. Goldilocks is a mermaid and the 3 bears are 3 octopi. What is beautiful here is the artwork. There is so much to look at on each page and it’s been so well thought out.
I appreciate the little shells on either side of the page that show the octopi on their walk about. The mermaid is just as rude in this story as the other story. I have always wondered the point of this story. I can’t really see a message in this story accept don’t be rude and invade someone’s house. I’m sure I’m missing something.
The niece was all about this story. She loved the artwork. This was a 5 star for her. Amazing. The nephew thought it was funny. He laughed at the hats the octopi wore and he gave this 4 stars.
This is the story of Goldilocks told under the sea. Goldilocks is a mermaid and the 3 bears are 3 octopi. What is beautiful here is the artwork. There is so much to look at on each page and it’s been so well thought out.
I appreciate the little shells on either side of the page that show the octopi on their walk about. The mermaid is just as rude in this story as the other story. I have always wondered the point of this story. I can’t really see a message in this story accept don’t be rude and invade someone’s house. I’m sure I’m missing something.
The niece was all about this story. She loved the artwork. This was a 5 star for her. Amazing. The nephew thought it was funny. He laughed at the hats the octopi wore and he gave this 4 stars.
January 14, 2020
Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (finding Goldilocks mostly supremely annoying and rude and there also generally not being any real and lesson-imbued necessary consequences for her problematic behaviour and actions either, especially considering that what transpires in the three bears’ domicile is in my opinion a kind of home invasion, similar to a tramp breaking into a house, eating the occupants’ food, breaking their furniture and sleeping in their beds). And therefore, when I realised that Jan Brett’s The Mermaid is basically just an under-the-sea reimagining of Goldilocks and the Three Bears I was kind of sure right from the start that I would most likely not particularly enjoy The Mermaid from a thematic and personal reading pleasure point of departure.
And indeed, although I do have to admit that with The Mermaid Jan Brett has indeed retold the Goldilocks and the Three Bears thematics in an interesting and imaginative manner (and that mermaid Kiniro is thankfully also not quite as wilfully destructive as many of the Goldilocks whom I have textually encountered over the years have tended to be), there is still and nevertheless in The Mermaid that sense of entitlement present (of Kiniro simply to satisfy her own curiosity invading and occupying the Octopus Family’s home, destroying their possessions, sleeping in their beds, placing herself in needless peril) that I have always found so annoying and frustrating with regard to Goldilocks (and there equally never seems to be any kind of active contrition shown or lessons learned either, and yes, even Jan Brett’s mermaid does not in my opinion seem all that aware of the fact and truth that she should not have invaded the octopuses’ home in the first place).
Combined with the fact that I also have not really all that much enjoyed Jan Brett’s accompanying illustrations for The Mermaid either (as they are really much too busy and visually distracting for my aesthetic tastes) and that I do wish Jan Brett had provided a bit of an author’s note regarding especially the genesis of the original Goldilocks and the Three Bears tale (as it does feature an intriguing and literary back story), I really cannot and will not consider more than two stars for The Mermaid (since no, I personally just do not consider this book either narrationally or illustratively appealing).
And indeed, although I do have to admit that with The Mermaid Jan Brett has indeed retold the Goldilocks and the Three Bears thematics in an interesting and imaginative manner (and that mermaid Kiniro is thankfully also not quite as wilfully destructive as many of the Goldilocks whom I have textually encountered over the years have tended to be), there is still and nevertheless in The Mermaid that sense of entitlement present (of Kiniro simply to satisfy her own curiosity invading and occupying the Octopus Family’s home, destroying their possessions, sleeping in their beds, placing herself in needless peril) that I have always found so annoying and frustrating with regard to Goldilocks (and there equally never seems to be any kind of active contrition shown or lessons learned either, and yes, even Jan Brett’s mermaid does not in my opinion seem all that aware of the fact and truth that she should not have invaded the octopuses’ home in the first place).
Combined with the fact that I also have not really all that much enjoyed Jan Brett’s accompanying illustrations for The Mermaid either (as they are really much too busy and visually distracting for my aesthetic tastes) and that I do wish Jan Brett had provided a bit of an author’s note regarding especially the genesis of the original Goldilocks and the Three Bears tale (as it does feature an intriguing and literary back story), I really cannot and will not consider more than two stars for The Mermaid (since no, I personally just do not consider this book either narrationally or illustratively appealing).
December 16, 2019
The Three Bears retold in a vaguely Japanese under-the-sea setting with a mermaid Goldilocks and an Octopus family. My teacher daughter loved it and so did the children she reads to. The black-haired mermaid seemed a nice touch instead of the usual Eurocentric blondes, allowing more of the children in her class to see something of themselves.
March 5, 2018
An underwater retelling of the classic story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In this story it's a mermaid and the three octopuses. The illustrations were great, as always.
July 3, 2017
The artwork is GORGEOUS and the idea behind the story is really innovative, at least to me. I'm never a fan of B&E, but it's a reboot of a fairy tale where it is the central plot point. Very well done, beautiful book. Five, it's Jan Brett can you imagine less than five, stars. :)
January 7, 2020
Really, really enjoyed The Mermaid. I hadn't realized going into it that it is a variation on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but it's a charming one and I love the undersea aspect, so original! The illustrations are full of glorious detail without being a wild bonanza (as I sometimes find Brett's illustrations a bit too much) and I enjoyed the Japanese influences. I especially liked the ending and found it a refreshing variant on the original.
August 23, 2017
The ever-gorgeous illustrations of Jan Brett redeem this otherwise unoriginal story.
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August 26, 2020There is something comforting about the beauty and aesthetic of Jan Brett’s books. The Mermaid is an under the sea retelling of the classic fairytale Three Little Bears, where Goldilocks is replaced by mermaid Kinkiro, and the bears are exchanged for an ornately dressed octopus family. Kinkiro redeems her household disruption by giving an upset Baby Octopus her crown of shells to wear. Jan Brett was inspired by a trip to Okinawa. Filled with the stunningly detailed illustrations of all Jan Brett books we love. Look at the side borders to enrich the story.
-Lisanne E.
-Lisanne E.
May 4, 2019
Prolific author/artist Jan Brett, known for such popular picture-book folktale retellings as
The Mitten
, here takes the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and transplants it from the forest to the ocean, giving it a Japanese cultural background. When the Octopus family wanders off for a swim, a little mermaid named Kiniro, accompanied by her puffer-fish friend Puffy, explores their seashell house. She tries their breakfasts, their chairs, and their beds, eventually falling asleep on Baby Octopus' shell-hammock. When she is discovered by the indignant Octopus family, her gift of a tiara to the baby of the family goes some way to setting things right...
Apparently inspired by Brett's visits to Okinawa, and to the New England Aquarium, where she met the resident giant Pacific octopus Sy, The Mermaid is a fairly engaging fairy-tale transplant. I don't know that I was that wowed by the narrative - although not opposed to the idea of taking classic folk and fairy-tales and giving them new cultural settings, somehow this particular revision/retelling didn't feel that compelling to me - I did enjoy the artwork. As an octopode lover, I also appreciated the inclusion of the Octopus family. Brett's illustrations are colorful, with her trademark decorative borders providing snapshots of other scenes, while the main action is occurring. Recommended to Brett fans, who will undoubtedly enjoy the visuals, as well as to young mermaid lovers.
Apparently inspired by Brett's visits to Okinawa, and to the New England Aquarium, where she met the resident giant Pacific octopus Sy, The Mermaid is a fairly engaging fairy-tale transplant. I don't know that I was that wowed by the narrative - although not opposed to the idea of taking classic folk and fairy-tales and giving them new cultural settings, somehow this particular revision/retelling didn't feel that compelling to me - I did enjoy the artwork. As an octopode lover, I also appreciated the inclusion of the Octopus family. Brett's illustrations are colorful, with her trademark decorative borders providing snapshots of other scenes, while the main action is occurring. Recommended to Brett fans, who will undoubtedly enjoy the visuals, as well as to young mermaid lovers.
February 22, 2018
I used to love Jan Brett books when I was little, the colors and the extreme detail in the drawings. But, I didn't love this one. First off it's basically Goldie Locks and The Three Bears, and that's not exciting. The details are still are there, so I'm happy about that. But this story is written not just illustrated by Brett so it's a little bit of a let down (granted maybe that's the style now, idk🤷🏽♀️). Also, the ending was a little choppy, unless I missed a page- I didn't see the baby octopus actually get the tiara. Only other complaint is the cover makes the mermaid look like she's glittery but she isn't like that the rest of the book.
January 3, 2020
Just another excuse for a sweet and beautiful book by Brett. Not sure that she's mastered the idea of how the effects of gravity would change undersea... bowls? Chairs? Also not sure if she's respectful of Japanese culture and decor. I don't know, but I do know I'd do a lot of research before tackling either of those aspects of the setting. At the very least I'd do some diving myself with a bowl, and try to sit down underwater... I know my body snickers at me when I pretend to sit down in a pool....
Reread: Likely good for children to exercise their abilities to compare and contrast with the original Goldilocks tale. I am just thankful that the girl did one good thing, rescuing Ray.
Reread: Likely good for children to exercise their abilities to compare and contrast with the original Goldilocks tale. I am just thankful that the girl did one good thing, rescuing Ray.
July 9, 2024
A mermaid twist of the Goldilocks story. My seven-year-old son Braedon picked that up right away. I wasn’t impressed with the story. Illustrations were amazing because it’s Jan Brett. Third star for the illustrations and that my kids really liked it—though I did not.
6 years later, Nicolette (7) is obsessed with mermaids. We recently moved to Hawaii so she is living her dream.
6 years later, Nicolette (7) is obsessed with mermaids. We recently moved to Hawaii so she is living her dream.
September 16, 2021
A cute retelling of Goldilocks and The Three Bears set off the coast of Okinawa Japan. The illustrations are very colorful and intricate. I like that there is a clamshell on several pages that shows what is happening with the family while the mermaid is in their house, and the colors are very well chosen as well. This is super cute!
November 4, 2017
This is a fun new take on the three bears. I think the writing is just a bit clunky, but the illustrations are gorgeous (of course, this is Jan Brett!). Older elementary kiddos looking for a new take on this classic story will enjoy the book, as will those readers looking for a mermaid picture book (it's a pretty common request).
August 24, 2018
I adore Jan Brett’s beautiful& whimsical illustrations. I will immediately pick one of her books up if I just see the cover illustrations. This is a re~telling of a very familiar children’s story with the setting changed to an under the sea setting. I especially loved the illustrations for that reason and because the mermaid looks like our only Grand~darling. (At this time!)
September 30, 2017
The artwork is beautiful and I really enjoyed the underwater take on Goldilocks
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April 17, 2025love the stingray representation! the ending was a bit odd, though
August 31, 2017
Jan Brett creates a new twist to the traditional story of Goldilocks. In THE MERMAID, Jan Brett skillfully illustrates an under the sea look at Goldilocks story. The main character Kiniro is a mermaid swimming in the seas off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. The illustrations depict ocean life from an octopus family and Mermaid's point of view. Kiniro travels with her friend and protector a puffy fish. While the octopus family gets ready to go for a swim before breakfast, the author describes mother octopus holding a new hat and insisting Baby octopus wear the hat. As the octopus family leaves out the back of their house, Kiniro swims towards the front of the enchanting house of sea shells.
Brett takes her readers below to the ocean floor sharing interesting descriptions and colorful illustrations of scenery around the octopus family’s seashell and coral home. The author follows the Goldilocks storylines converting the images of dishes to seashells filled with exotic sea foods. Kiniro tastes all three and settles on Baby octopus’ breakfast. The mermaid sits in all three chairs and settles into Baby’s chair flipping her fins breaking the chair. Brett illustrates the visit to the family beds.
Mermaid, Kiniro falls sound asleep in Baby octopus’ bed. When the octopus family comes home, Brett descriptions with supporting illustrations portray the actions and reactions of the octopus family returning how and finding Kiniro sleeping in Baby’s bed. The author adds an unusual twist to her under the sea story with the help of puffy fish and the Kiniro’s observations. THE MERMAID offers an exciting look at a classic fairy tale set in the enchanting sea off the coast of Japan. Brett’s new book will hold the attention of readers of all ages.
Brett takes her readers below to the ocean floor sharing interesting descriptions and colorful illustrations of scenery around the octopus family’s seashell and coral home. The author follows the Goldilocks storylines converting the images of dishes to seashells filled with exotic sea foods. Kiniro tastes all three and settles on Baby octopus’ breakfast. The mermaid sits in all three chairs and settles into Baby’s chair flipping her fins breaking the chair. Brett illustrates the visit to the family beds.
Mermaid, Kiniro falls sound asleep in Baby octopus’ bed. When the octopus family comes home, Brett descriptions with supporting illustrations portray the actions and reactions of the octopus family returning how and finding Kiniro sleeping in Baby’s bed. The author adds an unusual twist to her under the sea story with the help of puffy fish and the Kiniro’s observations. THE MERMAID offers an exciting look at a classic fairy tale set in the enchanting sea off the coast of Japan. Brett’s new book will hold the attention of readers of all ages.
December 3, 2019
A take-off on "The Three Bears" only set in the ocean with 3 octopuses and a black-haired mermaid as "Goldilocks." Brett uses Japanese names for the octopuses and the mermaid. The octopuses are also dressed in Japanese style kimonos and hats. Brett sure does love her a good folk tale; she already wrote and illustrated a traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears and her arctic take-off: The Three Snow Bears. I personally loved the Mermaid book because of the ocean setting, and the ocean creatures, which are becoming more and more an interest of mine.
September 3, 2017
Jan Brett reimagines Goldilocks and the Three Bears under the sea. This time it is octopi and a curious mermaid. Wonderfully detailed illustrations show the movements of all.
September 4, 2017
Beautiful illustrations. A retelling of Goldilocks.
October 26, 2017
An adorable retelling of the Three Bears story, with Jan Brett's classic detailed illustrations.
December 19, 2018
A wonderful retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. My daughter loves it.
March 2, 2019
An under-the-sea re-telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, featuring a mermaid (as Goldilocks) and an octopus family (instead of the bear family). Love the Asian rendering to the story, which makes it more distinctive. Lovely, detailed illustrations characteristic of Jan Brett are especially well-suited to this story. Goldilocks is one of my least favorite fairy tales, but this is probably my favorite version of that tale.
February 1, 2018
I read this book to my granddaughters, age 3 and 4, who are mermaid fans. We all enjoyed it very much! It is a Japanese retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In Jan Brett’s version, the story takes place under the sea. Goldilocks has been replaced by a mermaid, and the three bears by octopuses (octopi?).
February 9, 2021
This book is like a twist on goldilocks and the three bears but with a mermaid! This book has amazing illustration on every page! It has very vibrant colors that keeps you lost in the book and really feel like you are there in the setting of the book! It brought back a lot of childhood memories. It was fun reading a familiar story that I know of but also making it different! This is a great book to get kids excited about picture books!
October 30, 2025
If you've read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, you already know how this book will end. But you should read it anyway if only for the illustrations.
January 26, 2019
I think this book is for first or second graders. The mermaid went into the octopus house and tried their breakfast. Then she said in their chairs and then broke one. Next, she fell asleep in the smallest bed. The octopus family came home and were very mad. She gave her tiara to the baby octopus and she left their home. I am not sure I would use this book in my classroom, maybe I would use it as a free choice book. A problem is the mermaid goes into someone's house without permission and then does not really get in trouble for it.
December 11, 2017
Brett, Jan. The Mermaid. G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin), 2017. $18.99. Content: G. PICTURE BOOK.
An ocean spin on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In a magical undersea setting near the coast of Okinawa, Japan, live an octopus family. The baby octopus did not like his new hat. The family set off for a morning swim. Meanwhile, Kiniro the mermaid, finds their house. Breakfast is on the table. The first is too crunchy. The second is too slimy. The third was just right. She saw three coral chairs. Too bumpy. Too slippery. And too small, she broke the smallest chair. She fell asleep in the third bed when the octopus family returned home. The baby octopus found the mermaid sleeping in her bed. The mermaid saw the baby octopus’s hat wasn’t right. Just then the octopi reached for the mermaid; she made her escape. But not before giving the baby octopus her tiara for a new hat.
The attention to small details in the illustrations is astounding. No little shell or coral reef is overlooked and each illustration is a symphony of color and balance. Every page has a nautical frame made of seashells and fish. I really liked how the mermaid made some restitution to the octopus family by giving the baby her tiara. Children will enjoy a familiar story with a fishy twist.
Pre-K, EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
An ocean spin on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In a magical undersea setting near the coast of Okinawa, Japan, live an octopus family. The baby octopus did not like his new hat. The family set off for a morning swim. Meanwhile, Kiniro the mermaid, finds their house. Breakfast is on the table. The first is too crunchy. The second is too slimy. The third was just right. She saw three coral chairs. Too bumpy. Too slippery. And too small, she broke the smallest chair. She fell asleep in the third bed when the octopus family returned home. The baby octopus found the mermaid sleeping in her bed. The mermaid saw the baby octopus’s hat wasn’t right. Just then the octopi reached for the mermaid; she made her escape. But not before giving the baby octopus her tiara for a new hat.
The attention to small details in the illustrations is astounding. No little shell or coral reef is overlooked and each illustration is a symphony of color and balance. Every page has a nautical frame made of seashells and fish. I really liked how the mermaid made some restitution to the octopus family by giving the baby her tiara. Children will enjoy a familiar story with a fishy twist.
Pre-K, EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
November 29, 2020
I wish the illustrator and publishing house would read this. I've already read a couple of books by Jan Brett. I was hoping to eventually read and buy one where the main girl is a white dark brunette but I'm not going to hold my breath.
I gave this book a 5 star because the illustrations are very beautiful. The story is re-imagined and very nice.
I wish Jan would illustrate at least one book where the main character is a white dark brunette. I lost my blonde after 3 and although I even have blonde family members, I couldn't relate to the blonde female characters when I was younger. That's why it'd be nice if we could get some representation. Natural blondes only make up 4% of the American population. There are also many dark brunettes everywhere in Europe, take England for example, it is mostly brunette, especially before the vikings started invading. Actually, the west coast has the vast majority of blondes because of this. 29% of Brits (whole UK) are blonde. Please represent the white brunettes too because this doesn't do much for our self-esteem as children. It tells us that we're not beautiful or good like the blonde representations of princess, it even tells us that we have to be from somewhere foreign.
I gave this book a 5 star because the illustrations are very beautiful. The story is re-imagined and very nice.
I wish Jan would illustrate at least one book where the main character is a white dark brunette. I lost my blonde after 3 and although I even have blonde family members, I couldn't relate to the blonde female characters when I was younger. That's why it'd be nice if we could get some representation. Natural blondes only make up 4% of the American population. There are also many dark brunettes everywhere in Europe, take England for example, it is mostly brunette, especially before the vikings started invading. Actually, the west coast has the vast majority of blondes because of this. 29% of Brits (whole UK) are blonde. Please represent the white brunettes too because this doesn't do much for our self-esteem as children. It tells us that we're not beautiful or good like the blonde representations of princess, it even tells us that we have to be from somewhere foreign.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews