'The Little Mermaid' by Metaphrog duo Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers is not an adaptation of the Disney movie, but it is a pretty faithful adaptation of the original story by Hans Christian Andersen.

A mermaid lives with her older sisters under the sea. They all dream of the day when they are 15 and they can make one visit to the surface. They all report back on what they sea: icebergs, sunsets and other wonders. The youngest sees a prince and ends up saving him from a shipwreck. She wants to become human and makes a bargain with the sea witch, but since this is Hans Christian Andersen, you must know that it won't end happily.

The artwork is beautiful. The water has light shimmering in it. The prince's ship sails on a golden sea, then glows white as lightning highlights it during the storm. There is detail in all the ink work. It does the story justice in all it's beauty and sadness.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Papercutz and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Let me start by saying that The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favorite stories- I have enjoyed most retellings that I've read. It's a beautiful and tragic story, assuming you're not consuming a children's rewrite.

I'm not going to address the original story but rather this specific edition by Metaphrog. As a retelling of a classic fairytale, it is very well done- honoring the original with its macabre undertone, giving us a twist on the tale that will be far less jarring for younger readers. I really like the way the author played out the tragedy and ending of the tale.

The story is condensed into a beautiful picture book with lush art that draws you into a beautiful blue and green world. From the first page, I was wowed, even more so as the underwater merworld unfolded. I enjoyed the character design and underwater world greatly. The colors are rich and varied, lending to a very fantastical feel.

And as a side note to the art, during a scene where The Little Mermaid watches humans dancing on a ship, we see the couples through a porthole window. The artist has incorporated a lesbian couple and couples of varied ethnicities. I cannot express how happy this little detail made me. To the artist, thank you for being inclusive. This is so important.

I loved the art so much that despite having received a free ebook in exchange for my review, I am going to purchase this for my book collection. It's truly that lovely.

I enjoyed it and this is the first time i\m reading a graphic novel. All the images were beautifula nd i wanted to draw them so badly :)
It is good to read, easy to follow. I highly recommend it for kids.

This is a nice graphic adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary tale, The Little Mermaid. I was happy that this was an adaptation of the original story but found the artwork rather disappointing. I think I might have preferred a variation of color differentiating the two worlds- the jewel-like quality of the undersea vs. perhaps a lighter palette for the land. The strong, saturated colors (almost psychedelic) throughout made it a little less poignant to me when the Little Mermaid reminisced about her home and family from her standpoint of the cold and unfulfilling land world she wished to join. The sameness of the color palette just disappointed. It felt like a missed opportunity. Frankly, when the Prince announces he's marrying the other girl, the world could have had all color bled from it until it was like foam. (There was a bit of lightening at the end but just a bit.)

Still, all in all, worlds better than the Disney version!

A lusciously illustrated retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson story, with a sort-of art-deco, 1920s twist to it. Absolutely lovely, but also kind of depressing, as it does follow the original story quite closely. A must for fans of fairy tales.

This version of The Little Mermaid is perfect for both kids and adults. The imagery alone is breathtaking and you will want to turn the page to read the story but also not because of all this spectacular eye candy. The sad tale of the mermaid (yes this is the original, not the Disney version) is told in under a hundred pages but masterfully so. The words are somewhat eclipsed by the beautiful art but only because it has been done so perfectly. The duo who created this masterpiece are award winners and I can see why. If you have heard of the tale of the little mermaid, then you know how it ends with the sea foam. But I truly believe the way that it's done here really emphasizes the heart of the story and this ill-fated mermaid. The themes of love, family, and sacrifice are well explored in a way appropriate for both children to read and adults to understand the deeper meaning. I highly recommend this book both for it's touching take on this old tale and for the captivating artwork. I got this e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the artwork and the story, it was a really pleasant read!

The Little Mermaid di Metaphrog (i due graphic-novel Sandra Marrs e John Chalmers) è una trasposizione in forma di fumetto di una delle più celebri fiabe di Hans Christian Andersen, La Sirenetta.
Il volume è molto breve, circa 80 pagine, e i dialoghi, così come le didascalie, sono essenziali.
La resa degli esseri umani e delle sirene non mi ha fatto impazzire, mentre ho trovato i disegni dei paesaggi marini e delle navi veramente molto belli, e l'utilizzo dei colori davvero fantastico.

La storia segue abbastanza da vicino quella originale, con la piccola Sirena che si strugge per il mondo degli uomini ed aspira a conquistare il cuore del suo principe, così somigliante alla statua gelosamente custodita nel giardino in fondo al mare. Manca purtroppo quello che nella fiaba di Andersen costituisce il vero motore delle azioni della Sirenetta, ovvero il desiderio di avere un'anima, dono precluso al popolo del mare, ed il finale che coinvolge i bimbi buoni e l'eventuale, possibilissimo destino lieto della protagonista.
Mi è piaciuto, invece, il fatto che gli autori abbiano presentato la sconfitta della sirena e il suo trasformarsi in spuma di mare come un nuovo inizio.
Un punto di vista originale che riesce a creare un finale soddisfacente.

I have always loved the little mermaid fairytale, and this illustrated book did it for me just fine. I loved the colorful and vibrant illustrations, the texts were clear and the adaptation to the original little mermaid tale was very accurate. What didn't i like? The characters weren't attractive enough for me, the rest was awesome.

The story was true to the original story which I greatly appreciated but the writing style seemed to be a little bland. I'm a little unsure on what age level it was being written for because I don't think I would give this to any of my kids but as a adult I wouldn't read it. The art style wasn't very good either, the colors were pretty but everything seemed very heavy with images and I didn't think the people were all that pretty.

The youngest of six mermaid sisters—hard to tell them apart when they’ll all got blue hair—has a statue of a human boy hidden away. She longs to reach her 15th birthday, at which time she can go up to land and check out the rest of the world. Her longing gets even worse when she comes across a ship in trouble and helps one of the passengers, who happens to look a lot like the statue. . .
If you’ve only seen the movie, forget it; this follows the original story. Especially forget the ending.
My main problem here is that the prince isn’t all that likeable, especially at first. After all, it’s not “Women, children, and princes first!” A nice part was when she loses consciousness and the page goes black.
The artwork is gorgeous. The colors are somehow rich and muted at the same time, as a lot happens underwater or at night, albeit with a full moon.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Unique artwork with vibrant colors in a graphic novel retelling of the classic story, The Little Mermaid. This version is closer to the original story with its non-Disney ending. For adaptation fans and those who like a bit of whimsical artistry.

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This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel version of the original story of The Little Mermaid. While I do love Ariel, the original is so haunting and beautiful. Metaphrog truly captured the essence of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.

The Little Mermaid by Metaphrog is a stand-alone graphic novel for kids of all ages. Based off of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale of a young mermaid who dreams of living high above the seas, onto dry land.

This graphic novel is not only beautifully illustrated, with each page full of unique, colorful and stunning art, it also stays true to Andersen's original story. If you are looking for the Disney version with the happy ending, this is not it.

Beautiful, full of detail, and an easy to follow graphic novel that I highly recommend!

*I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite tale from growing up. And I must admit that when I first read the “real” story written by Andersen, I was sad that the mermaid didn’t get a happy ending like she does in the Disney version. But, if you really think about it, the fact that most of the original versions of fairy tales are actually very dark is far more interesting. It gives more food for thought on some level, even though you keep thinking that they deserve to be happy, and it’s quite unfair and frustrating.

That’s why I really liked this new edition of the famous story. It is based on the original storyline. It’s a gripping story boasting beautiful illustrations.

I really enjoyed it, except for one little fact — I was really disappointed with the way the Prince looked. He has very feminine, almost androgynous facial traits. He didn’t strike me as attractive at all. But that’s very biased one might argue.

This hit me just as hard as it did the first time I read the Little Mermaid's original story. Sad, sweet, and compelling, this tale seems to be a warning of making bargains with people you have to go a long distance to find (in dark, shady places) and giving up everything for someone you don't know. Certainly, when the original tale was written that was true. While the story is not modern, it applies still today.

As for the illustrations, they were beautiful! I loved the style of the mermaids. I loved that they had a distinct style and one that still reflected the family resemblances and that it was their grandmother that was telling them stories--no overbearing father for Ariel this time! 15 is a rough age, especially when you're dreaming of something you don't understand. Ariel, unfortunately, learned it the hard way--even after her sister sacrificed their hair for a way out for her. Little heartless of them to agree to killing someone for it, but in a way the Prince killed Ariel (though he didn't know it). While I don't think it's a good fit for my library, I would reccommend it to those with a focus on illustrated fairy tales or an expansive children's literature section.

A sad and beautiful adaptation of a classic fairy tale! I fell in love with this graphic novel from the very first page!! This book has absolutely gorgeous art that I wish I could hang on my wall, stunning colors. A dark re telling that would be a welcome addition to the shelf of any collector of fairy tales or graphic novels. 5 Stars!!!

I’m always a little worried about re-workings of The Little Mermaid. So many of us have seen the Disney version and expect the happy ending for the prince and the mermaid. Metaphrog isn’t giving us a happy ending, they are sticking closer to the original by Hans Christian Andersen.

Our Little Mermaid does fall in love with a human prince and does make a deal with a witch, but the witch is not scary. The Witch is helping and warning our mermaid, but the mermaid still wants to have legs and the witch obliges at the cost of the mermaid’s voice. The mermaid does get to live in the prince’s palace, but the prince marries someone else. In the end, the little mermaid jumps into the sea, dissolves into foam and will live forever in the water. It’s a sad story really.

Metaphrog does cut out the more religious aspects of the original, which should make it appeal to a larger audience. The concept of souls that was so important in the original is left out here.
I loved the illustrations. They are gorgeous and full of detail. The underwater scenes are in shades of blue and green while the land scenes are warm oranges and reds. The mermaid’s feelings can be seen in her expressions. I found the panels easy to follow, which is not always the case, probably because I don’t read many graphic novels/comics.

I think this would be a good book to read with kids, but only if they are going to be okay with a the ending not being the happy wedding. My daughter would have been; I don’t know that my niece would enjoy it. It is beautiful though.

A beautiful retelling of a classic story. I loved everything from the cover to the use of colours throughout. The story was well written but the right length to stay engaging to a variety of young audiences.

An absolute classic tale beautifully written with gorgeous illustrations.