Mermaids On Parade

Dressing up as a mermaid is even more fun when you get to be part of the Mermaid Parade! Every year at the beginning of summer, mermaids and Neptunes and creatures of the sea flock to Coney Island to dance and twirl and march in the annual Mermaid Parade! A highlight of the year, one little mermaid can’t wait to put her costume on and join her parents as they take in the sights, sounds and smells of the fun-filled pageant. This year she is “Little Mermaid Coming Out of Her Shell.” An annual artists’ parade in New York City, the real Mermaid Parade provides the backdrop for an exciting time that every little diva is sure to enjoy!

Really, one of the few parades left in the city that successfully melds that old-time wildness with the newfangled kid-friendly vibe is Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade. It seems an odd parade to celebrate in the format of a picture book, but Mermaid Parade attendee and illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg is up to the challenge. With her bold colors and sense of pizzazz, Greenberg brings to life an event that continues to enthrall both children and adults alike with a love of fun, costumes, and general unavoidable weirdness. A young girl puts on a mermaid costume, but not just for the fun of playing dress-up. The summer solstice is nigh and it’s time for the yearly Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. This year the girl will be participating with her mom and dad and they’ve come up with the perfect outfit to wow the judges. Joining them are crowds of other participants and everyone gets a number. Then, as people dressed as King Neptune and Queen Mermaid lead on, everyone marches down the boardwalk and around the streets for all the happy onlookers. The route ends at the sandy shore, but that’s not all there is to it. The Costume Judges look everyone over carefully and by the end of the day the girl has won for “Best Little Mermaid.” And though it may be over, next year it’ll happen all over again, and she has her trophy until then to remember.

Book: Hardcover | 9.25 x 6.25in | 32 pages | ISBN 9780399247088 | 29 May 2008 | Putnam Juvenile | 3 - 5 years