Van Gool's The Little Mermaid is a refreshing take on the classic tale of The Little Mermaid, which is quite different to the infamous Hans Christian Anderson & Disney versions that most of us all know and love.
This is a very well written fairytale, perfect for reading to young children at bedtime, with a nice sea witch and a happy, yet different ending to what we're all used to. Though I felt the little Mermaid herself did seem a little selfish, but it's well within context to the story.
It was also very exciting to follow the stories of the littlest Mermaid's older sisters first journeys to the ocean's surface, where they all had very different, exciting and beautiful experiences.
I did however love the message of everyone getting alone, despite their differences, with the unforgettable line: "Fish tails or naked feet, love is the only thing that counts!"
Van Gool's The Little Mermaid, is a beautiful, large hard cover book, originally published in Australia by Budget Books, in association with Twin Books Corp. in 1992.
With precise direction by Muriel Nathan-Deiller and wondrously magical illustrations by Van Gool-Lefevre-Loiseaux, I absolutely recommend this book, especially for those little girls and boys, who dream of a wondrous world of magical mermaids, under the sea.
9.5/10
