The Girl with the Shark's Teeth

Story

Minnow lives a life full of magic and wonder that she sometimes takes for granted. She can swim deeper and longer than everyone else, and her mother Mercy has sung her strange and intriguing songs since she was young.

She has always felt safe and strong, but when three men board their boat talking about catching a mermaid, she is taken away with them. Now she has a desperate mission, to sail to Iceland on her own. But this is just the beginning of the adventure, and mermaids are only a small part of the magic…

Why we chose it

A magical adventure with merpeople and pirates which mixes and recreates myths and folk tales about the sea from Iceland to the Caribbean and challenges fairy tale stereotypes.

Where it came from

Cerrie Burnell has always loved the sea and the mystery of it, and she wanted to portray mermaids as strong and fearless women. She says inspiration struck at a children’s party when her daughter, who is of dual heritage, was given a shark’s tooth in the party bag. When her daughter held up the tooth to the gap between her teeth, she had the characters of Minnow and Mercy and wanted to write their story.

Cerrie Burnell is passionate about representation and diversity in children’s books, which is why Mercy is of dual heritage and Mercy has a hook. She says it’s so important for children’s literature to reflect the colourful, multicultural world we live in, so readers can see themselves in books.

Associated stories

Cerrie Burnell has written a number of books for children, including the picture books Snowflakes, Ballet Dreams and Fairy Magic; as well as the Harper series and The Ice Bear Miracle. Snowflakes was adapted for the stage in 2016.