Mermaid Story Time: Can I Give You a Squish?

Mermaid Storytime Head with Can I Give You A Squish

Knowing how to say hello is important when making new friends! Local mermaid Ria swam by the Archer Branch again to read us another one of her favorite new books about mermaids: Can I Give You a Squish? by Emily Neilson. Sharing squishes is great, but some friends prefer fin bumps, tail claps, tentacle shakes, or claw pinches. It's always good to make sure everyone feels comfortable when playing together!

The cover of "Can I Give You a Squish?" by Emily Neilson, which has a drawing of a merboy with blue hair and a gold tail, a red crab, a dolphin, and an octopus smiling at a nervous-looking yellow puffer fish.

Want more books about merpeople? Check out these "tails"!

The cover of "Oona" by Kelly DiPucchio, which has a drawing of a young Black mermaid with black hair, a white shirt, and an orange striped tail, swimming with a brown and white sea otter. The title is in white at the top.

The cover of "Mermaids are Real" by Holly Hatam

The cover of "Coral" by Molly Idle, which has a drawing of three mermaids (blue Manta, pink Coral, and yellow Filly) embracing in a colorful coral reef. The title is in a coral cursive font at the top and the author's name is in blue at the bottom.

The cover of "The Little Mermaid" by Jerry Pinkney, which has a drawing of a young mermaid with brown skin, dark hair, and a green tail wearing a green kelp circlet and an intricate seashell top breaching the surface of the water and smiling

The cover of "Mabel" by Rowboat Watkins, which has a drawing of a mermaid with dark hair hiding behind a large pink and white seashell so you can only see from her eyes up and a small bit of her tail at the bottom. The title is at the top in teal.

The cover of "Mermaid School" by JoAnne Wetzel, which has a drawing of four diverse mermaid students and their mermaid teacher swimming around a light blue background with green seaweed vines. The title is in the middle in red.

Oona by Kelly DiPucchio
E DIPUCCHI (Also Available as an eBook!)
Oona and her best friend Otto love to search for treasure but often find messy, tricky, and even shark-related trouble, instead. That's never stopped them before, though! After all, no proper treasure hunt is without some adventure. But when the grandest treasure yet is stuck in a deep, dark rift, Oona's not sure if she can dive right in. What might be waiting for her in those unknown waters? -HarperCollins

Mermaids are Real by Holly Hatam
E HATAM, H (This is a Board Book!)
A whimsical glimpse into the magical world of mermaids describes how they are made of song, pearls, coral, and daydreams; how they love to play and dance in the ocean; and how they love veggies, especially seaweed. -Baker & Taylor

Coral by Molly Idle
E IDLE, M
A disagreement between Coral, Filly, and Manta, three young mermaids who work together to build and safeguard the reef that is their home, must quickly be set right. -Baker & Taylor

The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney
E PINKNEY
In this reinvention of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, a little mermaid trades her voice for legs and makes a new friend on land, but must return to the sea to save her family. -Baker & Taylor

Mabel by Rowboat Watkins
E WATKINS (Also Available as an eBook!)
Mabel isn't like the other mermaids. Lucky isn't like the other octopuses. But when they find each other, they discover that true friendship isn't about how you look, and that sometimes what we are searching for is right under our noses. -Grand Central Pub

Mermaid School by JoAnne Wetzel
E WETZEL, J
It's Molly's first day at mermaid school, and there's so much to learn! Follow the mermaids as they count clamshells, recite the A B Seas, and make new friends. They even enjoy story time about children who walk on land! At the end of the day, it's time to sing the goodbye song and head home. -Random House, Inc.

Looking for books about hugging, body boundaries, and respect? These titles are for you!

The cover of "Don't Hug Doug" by Carrie Finison, which has the title in large white letters on a blue background. A cartoon boy with brown skin, black hair, and red glasses with a speech bubble that says "It's just not my thing!"

The cover of "My Hugging Rules" by David Kirk, which has the title in pink at the top above a drawing of a white cat with a fluffy tail and green eyes standing and looking at a little gray mouse with its arms open for a hug.

The cover of "Miles is the Boss of His Body" by Samantha Kurtzman-Counter, which has the title in large red and orange letters and a cartoon of a boy with brown skin and dark brown hair with his hand on his chest and a determined look on his face.

The cover of "Will Ladybug Hug?" by Hilary Leung. The title is at the top in blue and white, above a cartoon of a red ladybug with open arms and a smiling face on a yellow background. Down the left side is a blue argyle pattern with pink and red hearts.

The cover of "While We Can't Hug" by Eoin McLaughlin. The title is at the top in red, above a cartoon drawing of a hedgehog reaching out to their left, with a watercolor rainbow in the background. They are surrounded by colorful stars.

The cover of "Consent (for Kids!)" by Rachel Brian. The title is at the top in yellow and white comics font, above a cartoon of a person wearing a crown and cape with a speech bubble that says "I'm the ruler of my own body."

Don't Hug Doug by Carrie Finison
E FINISON (Also Available as an eBook and eAudiobook!)
Doug doesn't like hugs. He thinks hugs are too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. He'd much rather give a high five--or a low five, a side five, a double five, or a spinny five. Yup, some people love hugs; other people don't. So how can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There's only one way to find out: Ask! Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not. -Penguin Putnam

My Hugging Rules by David Kirk
E KIRK, D
Please, no pinchy, prickly, swishy, swoopy or too tight hugs! An adorable but picky cat has strict rules about how her friends can hug her. But, when she needs a hug, she discovers that her very particular rules need to be tossed aside for - NEW RULES! -Perseus Publishing

Miles is the Boss of His Body by Samantha Kurtzman-Counter
E KURTZMAN
On his 6th birthday, Miles' excitement is dimmed when he finds himself being pinched, noogied, hugged too tight, picked up and tickled by his well-intentioned family and decides he's had enough! When Miles decrees that he is the 'Boss of his body," his whole family expresses support and respect for his personal boundaries. -Ingram Publishing Services

Will Ladybug Hug? by Hilary Leung
E LEUNG, H (This is a Board Book!)
Meet Ladybug. Ladybug loves to hug! Now Ladybug is getting ready to go on a trip and wants to say good-bye to her friends. . . but will her friends want to receive a hug? Find out in this surprising and memorable storybook all about friendship, high-fives, consent, and of course, hugs. -Scholastic

While We Can't Hug by Eoin McLaughlin
E MCLAUGHL (Also Available as an eBook!)
Hedgehog and Tortoise were the best of friends. But they weren't allowed to touch. So the two friends wave to each other, blow kisses, sing songs, dance around, and write letters. And even though they can't hug and they can't touch, they both know that they are loved. Baker & Taylor

Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You by Rachel Brian
J 158.2 BRI 2020 (Grades 2-5)
This is a guide to consent and bodily autonomy, packed with bright and energetic illustrations. Readers will learn about boundaries and how to set them; ways to respect themselves and others; what to do if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and much more. Along the way, they'll be encouraged to reflect on (and improve!) their own behavior and to practice consent in their daily lives. -Baker & Taylor

The cover of "Wandering Whale Sharks" by Susumu Shingū, which has a cerulean background and a black sketch of a whale shark as viewed from below.

The cover of "Whale Shark" by Deborah Nuzzolo, which has a close-up photo of a whale shark with its mouth open swimming toward the camera. The title is in large white letters at the bottom of the photo.

The cover of "The Great Shark Rescue" by Sandra Markle, which features a photo of three young whale sharks swimming from left to right. The title and author are in white and yellow at the top and bottom right of the cover.

Mermaid Ria's tail resembles a whale shark's tail, which is the largest fish in the ocean. For more information about these endangered gentle giants, look for these books!

Wandering Whale Sharks by Susumu Shingū
J 597.3 SHI 2015 (Grades PreK-1)
This book celebrates the beauty of the world's biggest fish with simple prose and uncluttered illustrations. -Booklist

Whale Shark by Deborah Nuzzolo
J597.3 NUZ 2009 (Grades K-2)
With beautiful color photographs and simple text on each page, this Pebble Plus nonfiction book is a perfect introduction to the wonderful world of whale sharks. -CH

The Great Shark Rescue: Saving the Whale Sharks by Sandra Markle
J597.33 MAR 2020 (Grades 4-6)
The story of whale sharks—the largest fish on the planet. Facing threats from commercial fishing as well as climate change, they were categorized as endangered in 2016. Find out how scientists are working to study and protect these gentle giants of the ocean. -Baker & Taylor

Did you know that all these books (and every book!) can be counted towards your 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten goal? Click here to sign up and start tracking!

By CrissyH on August 20, 2021