Can You Catch a Mermaid?

Story

Eliza lives a lonely life by the ocean with her father, a fisherman. Her biggest wish is to meet a real mermaid. One day, a mysterious girl appears on the beach. The two become friends, but mermaids eventually have to return to their home under the sea.

Why we chose it

A magical modern fairy tale, gently told and beautifully illustrated in stunning seascape colours.

Jane Ray has illustrated more than sixty books for children and is known for her detailed artwork, stunning colours, natural patterns and the cultural diversity of her illustrations. She says she wants the children in all the schools she visits to see themselves in books and has included African princes and Asian princesses in her illustrations for traditional fairy tales like Cinderella and The Frog Prince.

Where it came from

Jane Ray started making little books when she was five years old. As an adult, she studied arts and design and has illustrated more than 70 books for children. She has also won or was shortlisted for many awards. Can You Catch A Mermaid? is the first book she wrote the story for as well.

Where it went next

Can You Catch a Mermaid? was adapted for the stage by Martin Murphy for Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire in 2007.

Associated stories

Other books written and illustrated by Jane Ray include The Elephant’s Garden, Ahmed and the Feather Girl and The Doll’s House Family.

Ray has illustrated a number of books working with different authors, including Heartsong with Kevin Crossley-Holland, Zeraffa Giraffa and The Glassmaker’s Daughter with Dianne Hofmeyr, The Lost Happy Endings with Carol Ann Duffy, Hummingbird with Nicola Davies and Corey’s Rock with Sita Brahmachari