Sea Tale

by Gail E. Haley

A young sailor's love for a mermaid is preserved in the ring she fashions for him from a strand of her hair, but he finds himself in a dire dilemma when he remembers he has promised a lock of his sweetheart's hair to a mysterious old woman.

Genres: Picture Books, Mermaids

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up on the stories of his sea-captain Uncle Brian, Tom dreamed of sailing upon the wide ocean, and of visiting the Lovelorn Islands, where his uncle found and lost his own sea maiden love. Promising to trade a lock of his sweetheart's hair for the beautiful golden mirror and comb offered by sinister local merchant Gertie, Tom sets off, eventually meeting and falling deeply in love with the mermaid Princess Falilah, to whom he gifts the golden items. But when she in turn gives him a lock of her golden hair, warning him that to lose it is to lose her love, and making him promise to return, he finds himself caught. He has already promised to return his men to their home, and to give the lock to Gertie, should he ever set foot on land again. How can he keep his promise, without losing Falilah...?

Having recently enjoyed author/illustrator Gail E. Hailey's A Story, A Story: An African Tale , which won the 1971 Caldecott Medal, I sought out other picture books she created, requesting Sea Tale from my local library. It is an original fairy-tale, rather than a folkloric retelling, but is no less engaging for all of that. Attentive readers will see the conflict coming, as soon as Tom makes his promise to Gertie, and might also guess the solution to his quandary, as I did. Watching the story play out is still quite enjoyable however, as is perusing the lovely illustrations. They look like they could have been done using some kind of block cut technique, although I'm not sure, as no information as to the media used was provided. In any case, they have the appeal of such artwork, being both stylish and somehow folksy. My only critique would be the fact that Falilah and the other mermaids don't have one tail fin, but two, approximating legs. I'm not sure I've ever seen that before, in an illustrations of a mermaid, and it struck me as rather odd. Leaving that aside, this is one I enjoyed wholeheartedly, and recommend to young fairy-tale lovers and mermaid enthusiasts.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her Gail E. Haley, “Sea Tale”, a boy named Tom O’Shaunessy lives by the sea. When he grows up, he becomes one of the best and truest sailors that the world has seen. One day he talks to the town fortune teller and buys a mirror and comb in exchange for two shillings and a lock of his sweetheart’s hair - even though he does not have a sweetheart. The fortune teller makes him swear an oath that he will bring her the hair once he does. Soon he forgets about the oath and sails away to fall in love with a mermaid. She gives him a lock of hair that allows him to breathe underwater, and then she shows him her underwater city. Eventually he has to leave and returns to the town where the fortune teller lives. She demands he give her the lock of hair, but he declares instead that he will never set foot on land again and he spends the rest of his life with his mermaid.

I enjoyed this book, and the illustrations added to the ancient fairytale feeling of the story. In a classroom I might use this book before a unit on marine life, or to demonstrate plot progression.