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Jessica Love

Julián Is a Mermaid Kindle Edition

by Jessica Love (Author, Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

3,887 ratings

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In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.

Reading age

4 - 8 years
Print length

40 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool - 3
Publisher

Candlewick Press
Publication date

June 18 2019
Page Flip

Not Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Not Enabled
ISBN-13

978-0763690458
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Product description

Review

This is Jessica Love’s debut picture book, and every choice she makes — the spare text, a color palette both muted and lively, full-bleed pages that make even subway cars and apartment rooms feel as expansive as the ocean — imbues the story with charm, tenderness and humor…Alongside Julián, readers learn that anyone can be a mermaid: All it takes is love and acceptance, a little imagination and a big swishy tail.
—The New York Times Book Review

Love couples the spare narrative with vivid, imaginative, and breathtaking illustrations. A heartwarming must-have for one-on-one and small group sharing.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Refreshingly, Spanish words aren't italicized. Though it could easily feel preachy, this charmingly subversive tale instead offers a simple yet powerful story of the importance of being seen and affirmed.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

[Julian] is, in a word, fabulous. Love lets an anxious beat pass before Abuela takes Julián by the hand, leading him to what some readers may recognize as the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. “Like you, mijo,” says Abuela. “Let’s join them.” Love’s deep empathy for her characters and her keen-eyed observations of urban life come together in a story of love, understanding, and embracing the mermaid within us all.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The luminous, lovely, and layered art is what really makes the book...The concluding parade is a confectionary wonder of marine fantasy that many kids will yearn to join, and it might prompt adults to set up their own in- library mermaid celebrations. More importantly, though, those who’ve been shy about their love for dazzle and showmanship will love the idea of a formidable grandparental ally, and they will find this encouraging and empowering.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

Julián’s emotional journey takes on depth through small but important details: a wary look in the mirror, a slight inward slump of the shoulders, a chin held high while marching down the street. Love uses vibrant watercolors with gouache and ink and a lively style to create scenes that splash and swirl to life on the page.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

Across her watercolor, gouache and ink spreads, Love captures the transformative power of being seen...Love's affecting combination of the literary and the visual results in a powerful affirmation of individuality, creative expression and unconditional acceptance.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)

Love’s painted scenes glow against muted backgrounds, with saturated, opaque tones tracing the graceful shapes of the figures. They’re especially striking when Julián gets swept away in a vivid underwater fantasy: a school of sea creatures whirls around him as he transforms into a mermaid. That scene is nicely replicated when he arrives at the parade, which is populated by scores of people in a wide variety of inventive costumes. The affectionate depiction of a broad range of body types and skin tones makes this particularly cheery.
—Booklist

This beautiful book is one of the very few picture books about a gender non-conforming child. Yet it feels like a celebration of all children who want to do things differently than the parental figures in their lives—and a love letter to the grownups who deeply understand them.
—Gothamist

There is nothing about this book that is forgettable. In fact, you may have a hard time not thinking long and hard about it after you put it down. A book for mermaids and boys and girls and parents and teachers and booksellers and librarians and . . . Let’s just simplify things and say it’s a book for the human race.
—Betsy Bird

Jessica Love’s vivid watercolor and gouache illustrations are made even brighter by her decision to paint on brown paper; the richly colored palette pops off the pages, and abundant character is conveyed via the subtlest of facial expressions and body language. Also subtle—and terrifically poignant—is the eloquent encouragement of Abuela’s spare words. A book for the ages, Julián Is a Mermaid is going to make a big splash.
—BookPage

The illustrations couldn’t be more beautiful, and I love how Julián’s grandmother accepts him for exactly who he is...I’m so grateful for books like these that help foster acceptance and understanding from a young age.
—A Cup of Jo (blog)

Julián Is a Mermaid makes a fine addition to the best LBGT children’s books.
—Brain Pickings (blog)

Groundbreaking...here’s a happy picture book that challenges traditional gender stereotypes, rendering one boy free to be himself.
—San Francisco Chronicle

Right now, I just finished reading ‘Julián Is a Mermaid,’ by Jessica Love, which is an awesome picture book, one of my favorites, and I won’t spoil the end for you, but it has something to do with the mermaid parade.
—Charles George Esperanza, The New York Times

It’s a story of a little boy who is taken with some elegant costumes, and decides to fashion one of his own. It’s that simple, but it makes a big impression; I can’t recommend it highly enough.
—The New York Times Book Review e-newsletter --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Jessica Love is an illustrator and a New York based actor. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as a graduate degree from Juilliard. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07SDC6MS6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick Press; Illustrated edition (June 18 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5734 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #433,121 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #33 in Children's Hispanic & Latino Story Books
- #47 in Children's Non-religious Holiday Books
- #3,161 in Exploring North America for Children

Customer Reviews:
3,887 ratings

About the author

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Jessica Love

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Jessica Love is the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed picture book, Julián is a Mermaid, published by Candlewick Press. Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Jessica studied printmaking and visual art at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and graduated with a degree in Visual Art.

She was then accepted to The Juilliard School to study acting, and graduated with a degree in Drama in 2009, and has been working as a stage actor ever since. She has appeared on and off-Broadway, as well as many theaters around the U.S.

Julián is a Mermaid is Jessica's first book, and she lives in Brooklyn.

Robb Pearlman
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Kindle Edition
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Customer reviews

5 star		90%
4 star		6%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Rosier

What's not to love!

Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book warms my heart and brings a tear to my eye. I love the calm colour palette that is still somehow so vibrant. I love that the minimal text per page encourages young readers to look to the illustrations to gain deeper meaning. I love how Julian's abuela doesn't just accept his interest in mermaids but actively engages in it with him. And I love Love LOVE the inclusion of a variety of body shapes!!
Looking forward to reading it to my kindergarten class!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Aleesha Lyle

Beautiful Story!

Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is my daughters favourite book (and mine too)! I purchased the book when my daughter was 2.5yrs old. Perfect for young readers! I would definitely recommend this book for anyone.

Helpful

Levi Labelle

Can I be a mermaid too?

Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

What a joy this book is. The art is delicate and wonderful. The story is inclusive and filled with love. I’m filled with both joy and love now. So grateful for Juliàn.

Helpful

C Moss

Unconditional love between a child and grandparent

Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

A beautifully Illustrated story of how simple it is to love someone for who they are. There are mermaids among us and we are blessed to have them.

Helpful

Daddywarbuck

Boys can be mermaids too

Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Beautiful story and illustrations. I had a boy in my class that wanted to be a mermaid so this was perfect!

Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

Beautiful book

Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

Simple, beautiful story about acceptance and love, with gorgeous illustrations. My kids just love this book.

Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2022

Verified Purchase

Beautiful images

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Top reviews from other countries

Dr. Catherine Butler

What happened to the Spanish?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

It's a 4-star book for me book, but this edition loses another star because it has stripped out the Hispanic elements of the original. Julián is now Julian, his abuela is his Nana, and 'mijo' has turned into 'honey'. For a book that celebrates diversity, this erasure of Hispanic culture and language is pretty disappointing!

86 people found this helpful

Caroline Clary

Stunning!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Where to begin?? This is an absolute joy from start to finish, from the minimalist text to the fantastic facial expressions of both Julian and his Nana, every page is a feast. The story is incredibly visual which will enable even the youngest of children to enjoy it, and would be a wonderful prompt for pictures of your or your child's own. Best of all, for me, it took me back to those heady days when my child was small and not concerned whether their playthings were for girls or boys, and just played how they wanted. Nana is the parental figure we all need in our lives... calm, accepting, enabling and Julian is completely and totally a mermaid - perfect!

25 people found this helpful

Zephyr

Stunning pictures, but lacking in words

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

I bought this for my 6yo who is non-binary/trans. I had thought it was about a transgender child on a journey of discovery and acceptance. I was hoping my child would relate to Julian and that the story may help them to express their feelings. We've read it twice, once while aged 6 and once aged 7. Neither of us really "got" it. It was disappointing after the great press reviews. The illustrations are stunning, but they don't explain Julian's thoughts or feelings beyond him wanting to be a mermaid, and worrying that his Nana wouldn't approve. He secretly dresses as a mermaid. He looks great! Very flamboyant, more like a drag queen, or a dancer at Carnival. Nana is very accepting of Julian's appearance, and they go off to a parade where he sees adults dressed up similar to him - possibly a LGBTQI Pride Parade, possibly a carnival. I had to fill in the gaps in the narrative and explain it as we read. Perhaps that's the idea...? Personally I prefer more narrative, and less gaps to fill. It's not for us. I will give it to school or another LGBTQI family.

6 people found this helpful

One Man Book

This book is Everything

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

From a supportive Nana to a creative Child who is allowed to be himself, the illustrations are stunning and truly allows for the child reading's imagination to follow along with Julian's journey. We love that Julian is a mermaid and our daughter often plays with her sheets in the same way, and knows that all children are allowed to dream and play and be themselves. Highly recommend for every household.

12 people found this helpful

susan Yardley

Rubbish

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2020

Verified Purchase

Was recommended this book for my daughter age 7, but we both didn’t enjoy it at all.

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Julián Is a Mermaid Kindle Edition

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Jessica Love

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