If You Love a Mermaid Tale: The Little Mermaid and The Magic Shell (If You--barron's Educational Series)

Two captivating mermaid tales feature artist Susanna Lockheart's beautifully atmospheric and highly detailed color illustrations on every page. Her wonderful art is enhanced by an ingenious paper engineering technique that makes the pictures change as if by magic each time young readers lift and turn a page. The "moving" illustrations dramatically complement and dramatize a modernized version of the timeless fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, and a story from Japanese folklore, The Magic Shell . The Little Mermaid: The Little Mermaid rescues a prince who is tossed overboard from his ship during a storm. Later, with help from the Sea Witch, the Little Mermaid gives up her voice, exchanging it for legs, in her effort to make the prince fall in love with her. Difficulties arise, but the story ends happily when she and the prince marry. The Magic Shell: Set on the coast of Japan, this is the story of a poor boy who does a good deed and is thanked by a mermaid who gives him a magic seashell. When he puts the seashell to his ear, it tells him that the emperor's daughter is dying--but it also tells him how to save her. The seashell's magic works and the boy is rewarded by the emperor.