Book Type: Collection of short stories/poems Author: Fred Marvin Pages: 80 Summary(amazon.com): Under the sea there lies a special world--the world of Ariel, the Little Mermaid--a world that fans of the movie are reluctant to leave. Now they won't have to, for here are over 20 original stories and poems to provide a new look into the lives of favorite Little Mermaid characters. My Review: Ariel is a character I have always had a connection with since I was a child, so I am always looking for new books about her life and what happened before Prince Eric! This book was perfectly written, and I must applaud the author for recreating The Little Mermaid amazingly. First, I have to mention the illustrations. I'm not sure who the illustrator was, but fintastic job! The colors, the way Ariel was drawn... it looked as if it came off a Disney animator's desk. What I love about the short stories and poems is that Marvin was able to write these pieces in an easy fashion for children to enjoy and understand, but adults who love Ariel as much as I do, will also enjoy reading this. I also love that each story is only a couple of pages, but crafted beautifully. As I was reading this, I was reminded of The Little Mermaid show I used to watch as a kid, wondering what adventure I would watch that day.
There is a story for each character in the movie including almost all of Ariel's sisters, King Triton, Ursula, Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle and of course, Ariel! I really love that Marvin added Ariel's sisters to this collection; it helps them establish a distinguishing identity since the poor mermaids were lost in almost every movie! Only one story bothered me a little, and that was Adella's. For some reason, Marvin decided to make her extremely vain, self-centered and quite nasty, but I have never seen any of the mer sisters possess any qualities like this. I really loved reading this book, and if you love Ariel as much as I do, then definitely check this out! I give this book (*****) 5 stars. -Sirenita The Selkie