Julián Is a Mermaid facts for kids
 |
|
| Author | Jessica Love |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jessica Love |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Candlewick Press |
|
Publication date
|
April 2018 |
| Awards |
|
| ISBN | 978-0-7636-9045-8 |
Julián Is a Mermaid is an American children's picture book by Jessica Love. It tells the story of a boy who wants to become a mermaid and participate in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Love first began writing the book in 2014 while she worked as an actress, and it was published in 2018 by Candlewick Press.
The book received wide praise from critics, both for its emotional depth and the author's artistic decision to mix watercolor, gouache, and ink in her paintings, as well as for her usage of pastel tones against a more muted background. Julián Is a Mermaid was awarded the Stonewall Book Award and the Klaus Flugge Prize, and was highlighted in several "Best Of" lists.
Plot
One day, while on the subway with his grandma, Julián sees some of the participants of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Julián becomes fascinated by them and starts dreaming of becoming a mermaid swimming in the sea.
Back home, while his grandmother is showering, Julián fashions himself a mermaid outfit with a variety of materials he finds at home, including a potted plant and window curtains. After leaving the bath, his grandmother gives what seems a disapproving look and leaves for a while, just to return with a smile on her face and a pearl necklace for Julián.
His grandmother then takes him to the parade, where he gets to walk with all the other mermaids.
Influences
Love says she was inspired to write the book when she met her partner's older brother, who had transitioned a few years before Love began writing the book. According to Love, due to pushback from his family when younger, he was only able to transition after he was fifty years old. Talking to him inspired her to research the subject, including the available literature.
The 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, which tells the story of drag queens rejected by their families who found acceptance in a different place, was another inspiration. Love said in an interview with The Guardian that she wanted to write a story "about what their [the drag queens'] lives would have been like if they'd received the kind of support from their birth families".
Love also said growing up with queer role models – her aunt and her aunt's wife – had a positive impact on her family, and she "wanted to make a book that provided that kind of support and pride of place".
Awards and accolades
Julián Is a Mermaid received a series of awards, including the 2018 Opera Prima Bologna Children's Book Fair, the 2019 Stonewall Book Award and the 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize. In its release year, Love was awarded the Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators.
Julián Is a Mermaid was highlighted by several online magazines and websites in "Best Of" lists. New York magazine included it in a list titled "The Best Children's Books for LGBTQ+ Families, According to Experts", with one of the booksellers calling it "beautiful, simple and unapologetic". In a list for The New York Times, Linda Sue Park chose Love's debut book to feature on her list of "Picture Books to Help Kids Weather Our Age of Anxiety".
