Mermaids in the Moonlight

‘I wonder how many mermaids there must be to make all these different noises in

the lagoon. They say that, over a hundred years ago, the sounds used to be so loud

that you needn’t even enter the lagoon … You could simply walk along the banks or

on a bridge to hear them.’

Nilavoli and Amma voyage down a lagoon in Mattakalappu, listening to the mysterious

sounds that rise from the deep.

As little Nilavoli listens in wonder, Amma dives into folklore and fishes out spellbinding tales

of mermaids from around the world. From the royal mermaid Mélusine of Luxembourg to

Julnar the sea-born from West Asia, from the shapeshifting Menana of the Ottawa Nation to

the mermaid princess Suvarnamaccha, a daughter of Ravana who fell in love with Hanuman,

the stories are all touched with magic.

Like a mermaid’s song, this beautifully illustrated picture book by acclaimed author and poet

Sharanya Manivannan will enchant every young reader.