Never give up your voice
A Little Mermaid for this generation
Before Disney made it into a popular movie, The Little Mermaid was a Danish fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. If you are familiar with the original story, the Little Mermaid goes to the surface on her 15th birthday. She sees a handsome prince on a ship and falls in love with him. The mermaid rescues him from a storm and desires love from him and a human soul. She goes to the Sea Witch and exchanges her voice for a legs potion. The prince discovers her at the shore and invites her to live in his palace. However, he is not in love with her. He marries someone else, and the mermaid dies of a broken heart and turns into sea foam. Instead of ceasing to exist, she becomes an earthbound spirit that will earn a human soul by doing good deeds for 300 years.
As a storyteller, I liked how the story had an atypical happy ending. However, the feminist in me was disappointed that the mermaid gave up her identity and voice for someone she knew for a second. I enjoyed the Disney version because it was nice to see the mermaid get a happier ending. In my opinion, it gave Anderson the happy ending he never got in his life. I still wished for a story where the mermaid did not have to surrender her voice and identity to have a happy life.
My husband and I were browsing the library one day, and I caught a glimpse of The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney. I was captivated by the cover and design of the mermaid. However, I wanted to know if it was going to be like the original Andersen version. I checked it out and was surprised that it was everything I wanted in a Little Mermaid story.
The mermaid, Melody, was a character who was not content to just stay in the ocean and sing in a choir with her three older sisters. She wanted to explore, be creative, and be adventurous, too. Instead of a prince, Pinkney decided to have Melody discovers a little girl named Zion. She wants to be friends with Zion and, like in the original story, goes to the Sea Witch and trades her voice for a potion that gives her legs.
Melody meets Zion on the beach, and they become instant friends. Melody tells her story by writing it in the sand. Zion is surprised by what Melody did for her and says, “Melody, you should have never given up your voice…for anything.”
That quote was one of the best messages that kids could receive while reading this book. Parents want their kids to be themselves and never compromise their identities. Not meaning to give too much of the story away, Melody finds her voice again and has a happier ending than the Andersen mermaid.
If you are a parent, teacher, or someone who cares about kids, I recommend The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney. It delivers a message of remaining true to who you are and never giving up a part of yourself for anyone.
