Have you ever heard of a Rusalka mermaid? Do you know the preferred diet of an Undine? Are you looking for a good recipe for brewing your own ocean potion, or a quiz to tell you once and for all what's your mermaid personality? For all of the above, Sarah Glenn Marsh's "How to Spot a Mermaid" has you covered!

Informative, beautifully-illustrated, and narratively immersive, this book is honestly a children's literature (non-fiction?) masterpiece. One of the things I loved most about the book is how smartly it was structured and organized. The book starts out by giving some really well-placed context that makes the stories seem more vibrant and real: first, with some very lovely information about different types of coral and underwater plants and their uses which was super fun and informative; and second, with the background on Sailor's Tales which were very interesting and provided a perfect segue into the next section: the most(ly) complete compendium of mermaids. In this section, which is the most substantial section of the book, mermaids are organized by ocean name ("as each mermaid can be found only within the limits of their ocean of origin"!) and important facts - including their spoken language, preferred diet, personality, appearance, and favourite types of music - are included to give every reader the most current and up-to-date knowledge about the mermaids and other magical beings living in the deepest, darkest corners of the ocean. The compendium is followed up with a 'secondary' guide of mermaids' companions, sharing details about all sorts of mermaid friends from bluenose dolphins to polar bears. The book's final section provides magical quizzes and activities that let you decipher your mermaid personality type, learn how to make your own ocean bath bomb, and more. From start to finish, this book gives the reader everything they need to feel completely immersed in the beautiful world under the sea.

Reading an advance reader copy of "How to Spot a Mermaid" was honestly a kind of full-circle moment as one of the first books I remember reading as an avid young reader was a similarly informative book on mermaids that I was absolutely obsessed with (the title currently alludes me). Reading Sarah Glenn Marsh's book brought back all of those nostalgic feelings in the best way. As much as I enjoyed this as an adult, I know I would have loved it infinitely more if I was currently a young girl, or this book had been available when I was. Which is a long way of saying that this book will be appealing (and well-loved) by young readers with any interest in mermaids, sea lore, fairytales, fantasy, and/or children's literature in general. 10/10 recommended for any and all mermaid lovers!

This book possibly makes a new genre. It's a fictional field guide, but not based on lore or fairytales. I think it would be better represented if the title were "A Field Guide to Mermaids" or something similar, how bird and bug guides are titled. The current title made me think it would be a picture book, along the lines of the How to Catch series.

I liked the illustrations of the mermaids.

I do wonder what the target audience is - older elementary? Tweens?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoy books with some suspension of reality, but this one left me feeling a little jaded. Instead of succeeding in making mermaids feel very real, it only made everything else in the book feel less real (like the part about under water animals).

I also didn't get any of the cool - 'this is where this legend came from' history that made me excited to read this, since it was impossible to differentiate between what came from old myths and what was pure author invention.

Now that I reread the description on goodreads, I see that it's pretty obviously what it is, so that's on me for not taking more care and time in selecting what to read.

Other than my personal hang ups, this is a well written book with cute, fun, and vibrant illustrations.