Are you looking for a super cute mermaid children’s book? Check out this list of the best mermaid books for kids worth buying as a gift or reading at bedtime!
This post about the best mermaid books for kids was written by family travel expert Marcie Cheung and may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Do you have a child who is obsessed with mermaids? Engage them with these enchanting stories through mermaid books.
Mermaids are magical, mythical creatures that capture the hearts of kids everywhere. They’re very ancient, with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish.
And there’s often a sea witch who challenges the protagonist, but we also know who will prevail. (Of course, our mermaid hero!)
Your kids may have loved Hans Christian Andersen’s creation of The Little Mermaid. It’s a love story between a young mermaid named Ariel, her powerful siren voice, and her adventures to Prince Eric’s kingdom.
Today, we’re looking at some of the cutest mermaid stories for you to enjoy with your kids. You’re in for quite a fun and fishy time!
These mermaid lore are perfect additions to any children’s book collection. Plus, they’re perfect for bedtime stories!
If you have young children who love mermaids or if you just love them too, these mermaid tales will surely please everyone involved!
They also make great gifts, so don’t forget about those birthdays coming up soon!
Your child will be enchanted by each one of these beautiful tales, filled with magic and wonderment from beginning to end. And it’ll make their dreams come true when they drift off into slumberland after reading through all these delightful stories together before bedtime every night.
It will be an enchanting experience that parents and children alike won’t soon forget!
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and scroll down right now so we can get started exploring our favorite underwater world and sea creatures together today!
Mermaid Facts for Kids FAQs
Babylonian text mentions the god Oannes, who was part man and part fish. Japanese folklore details a mermaid named Ningyo. Polynesian mythology greatly influenced Hawaiian culture, including a half-human and half-porpoise god named Vatea.
Mermaids have been the subject of many an ode and legend, but few could definitively answer whether they are dangerous. What isn’t up for debate is their history as a source of fascination in society. Sailors were at risk of jumping into the sea upon hearing tales told by other mariners. Some people credit mermaids with good luck, while others believe them responsible for bringing bad fortune to those who encounter them – there’s no clear consensus about this one either!
Mermaids have a swimming motion similar to dolphins. They both use their large single fin at the end of the tail for propulsion through water, but there’s more than one way that they do this – mermaids move it up and down while making full-body waves with each stroke like someone pushing off on an ocean wave!
9 Best Mermaid Books for Kids
1. Mermaid School
What could be more exciting than the first day of school? Well, what about mermaid school? Follow the story of schools from a mermaid’s perspective to schools of fish and learning the A B Seas.
This book touches on traditional and nostalgic moments in your human child’s day with a slightly fishier lens. The illustrations are watercolor style, with the perfect amount of pastel colors and ocean effects.
You’ll find the mermaid school handbook at the end of the book! The perfect guide for your mermaid-loving kid to take inspiration into their own school adventures.
This is our favorite mermaid book for kids!
2. How to Catch a Mermaid
From the New York Times and USA Today’s bestselling list is How to Catch a Mermaid by Adam Wallace. It’s one of the most popular mermaid children’s books.
This humorous picture book details under-the-sea adventures and explorations on how the reader might hope to spot and catch a mermaid.
This book’s art is gloriously rendered in e-book, paperback, and hardcover versions and features human child characters on the tail of mermaids undersea. Let your child’s imagination run free!
3. The Only Mermaid: Making Room For Someone New
One of the newer mermaid stories we’re considering today is The Only Mermaid: Making Room for Someone New.
Follow the story of the sweet mermaid Yara, whose lagoon is a safe haven for her friends in the form of seahorses, dolphins, turtles, and whales.
Yara lives an exciting and fun life in her cozy cave, but things change when a new mermaid, Devyam, arrives. Yara struggles with the thought of no longer being the only mermaid in the area and wonders how to go about this change.
This book aims to teach young readers about kindness and communication regarding the twisted tale of jealousy and loneliness.
Who doesn’t love a dose of fantasy with a lesson on compassion? Lessons from under the sea can resonate in the human world.
4. The Mermaid
The Mermaid is a picture book classic with breathtaking illustrations and intricate details. Kiniro, a young girl, experiences an under-the-sea version of the traditional Goldilocks story.
She finds a beautiful house made of seashells and coral and enjoys a just-right breakfast inside. Falling asleep inside a comfy bed, the Octopus family returns home, shocked at finding their new mermaid guest!
Adorable and magnificent chaos ensues in this story set off the coast of Okinawa, Japan.
It’s one of the most recommended mermaid tales for children. Teachers love this book as a great comparison to the historical fiction children’s story, Goldilocks, which is also a New York Times bestseller.
5. Good Night Mermaids (Good Night Our World)
Does your child dream of finding their own mermaid tail color? What about riding with dolphins, swimming with seahorses, and dressing up with seashells?
Good Night Mermaids is part of the Good Night Our World series for toddlers and preschoolers.
This series aims to teach memory and listening skills to kids through fantasy character stories. Grab a unique “board book” version instead of a hardcover for added durability to this perfect nighttime story.
6. Julián Is a Mermaid
Julian Is a Mermaid is a must-read for a more unique take on a cute and impactful mermaid book. The book is a “Teacher’s pick” on Amazon and follows the human boy Julián and his admiration of women spectacularly dressed as mermaids on the local subway.
He returns home and dreams of his own costume of a yellow-curtain mer-tail and a breathtaking headdress. Julián lives with his Abuela, who is sure to see his creation. What will she think about Julián’s dream?
This book is full of heart and celebration of child confidence and self-love. This book is a must-read if your child has ever felt out of place for their looks or interests. With a beautiful mermaid lens, of course!
7. Mabel: A Mermaid Fable
This is a great pick if you’re looking for preschool books about the ocean and the creatures that live there.
Mabel is a young mermaid who doesn’t fit in with the other mermaids. Luckily for her, she’s not alone.
An octopus friend of Mabel’s doesn’t fit into his shell either because he has different interests than all the others. Only when they are together can they truly be themselves.
Through their friendship, they discover what makes them unique is what makes life worth living! This is one of the most adorable mermaid picture books.
8. Mermaid Coloring Book: For Kids Ages 4-8
This mermaid book is a coloring book for kids featuring 50 unique mermaid designs on letter-sized (8.5 by 11 inches) paper.
Breathtaking mermaids, cute mercats, majestic turtles, sandcastles, starfish, and more sprawl across these pages for your child to bring to life with color.
This coloring book’s pages are single-sided to protect your kid’s creations from a marker or other color bleeding through to another page.
9. Black Mermaids: All Ages Coloring Book
No coloring book collection is complete without a wide variety of representations! Black Mermaids: All Ages Coloring Book features 30 coloring pages of gorgeous black mermaids with various natural hairstyles.
Children of all ages need to be able to consume media and art with characters that both look and don’t look like them!
When it comes to fantasy art, in particular, black characters are often severely lacking. This book celebrates diversity instead.
Your child will enjoy beautiful mermaids on one-sided coloring pages to prevent bleed-through and 5 affirmations with creative designs throughout the book.
Mermaid Children’s Books Wrap Up
If you’re looking for great mermaid books for kids, we hope this list will help. These are some of the best and most popular options available on Amazon.
We also have more ideas in our other posts about mermaids we think your children would enjoy! Check them out below if you’re interested.