Ian Deuchar

The medieval French legend of Melusine is retold in this lovely picture-book from author/illustrator Ian Deuchar. The story opens during a desperately cold winter, as a group of mermaids shelter from the icy ocean by withdrawing into a river that runs through a deep forest. When spring comes, all of the mermaids but one return to the sea. Delighted with her new sylvan home, the remaining mermaid eventually encounters a handsome prince, and longing to speak to him, she invokes the magic spell that turns her into a human. Falling in love, the two eventually marry, but the mermaid makes the prince promise he will never ask her where she is from, or why she goes into the forest every full moon. Naturally, he agrees, and the two are happy at first. But a jealous court lady, believing the prince ought to be hers, seeks the aid of a terrible witch in ruining the couple's marriage, leading the prince to doubt his wife, and break his promise...

Although some other online reviewers have compared The Prince and the Mermaid to Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, the tale that came to my mind as I was reading was the Japanese folktale, The Crane Wife. Both stories feature a magical/enchanted bride whose ability to stay with her husband depends upon him refraining from questioning her background, and both feature an unhappy ending, when the husband's promise proves too difficult to keep. In any case, the story here was lovely, and the artwork powerful. The scene with the witch was particularly creepy! I have read two other picture-books illustrated by Deuchar - The Moon Dragon and The Proverbial Mouse, both written by Moira Miller - but this was the first that he wrote as well. It appears to be the only book he ever wrote. I'm intrigued by the figure of Melusine, with which I am familiar, but about which I have read very little. The brief note at the beginning of this book mentions a 13th-century telling by Gottfried von Strassburg, but maintains that this was based upon an earlier French legend. Apparently, a number of European royal families claim to be descended from the figure of Melusine. I'll have to see what I can track down, to read further. As for this, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys beautifully-illustrated fairy and folktales.… (mais)