Julián is a Mermaid

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

“We still have a strange way of putting girls and boys into different slots. I wish we could come to a stage when anybody who fancied could wear a dress and do so-called ‘girly’ things or anyone who wanted could wear jeans and tinker with car engines.”

— Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Former Children’s Laureate

 In 2018, a beautiful debut picture book was published that I believe will have long-term significance: Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love ( Candlewick 2018).

I was touched by the tenderness of Love’s story. I read it as being about a little boy who enjoys dressing up, has a fixation with mermaids - and his Abuela who loves him.

The illustrations are stunning - and so well observed. (Perhaps Love’s training as an actor at Juilliard explains the characters’ expressive poses.) Painted in gouache on brown paper (old school!) they are creative and imaginative - and totally drew me in.

‘Former children’s laureate Anthony Browne called the book “astonishingly beautiful”, saying it was amazing that it was her first attempt to write and illustrate a picture book.’ And as with so many great picture books, much of the story is told (or inferred) through the illustrations alone (perfect for developing visual literacy, an essential life skill).

Here’s an example: the sequence of wordless spreads that show Julián become a mermaid in his imagination. There he is, sitting on the subway with Abuela, looking at his book of mermaids (‘Because Julián LOVED mermaids.’) - when suddenly, some real-life ones get on, too! (Love found inspiration in the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.)

Mesmerised, Julián drifts away into a turquoise sea. He sheds his clothes and is swept up in an exuberantly colourful swirl of fish, which disperses to reveal his mermaid tail. (It reminds me of Mickey, sinking down into the milk in Sendak’s The Night Kitchen.) 

 

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

But then the dream sequence ends abruptly - 

 

“Let’s go, honey. This is our stop.”

 

- and with a jolt, Julián is back.

So clever!

(At the end of the story, this opening scene is cleverly revisited when Julián, dressed up as a mermaid, gets swept up with the mermaid passengers at the Mermaid Parade.)

 As a boy, I loved to play dress-up.

I can remember trying on my mum’s jewellery and putting on her lipstick. I also had two loving grandmas - so I immediately saw myself in Julián.

 

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

But Love had some more profound thoughts in mind: She wrote it for children who are questioning their gender, or more specifically, their sexual orientation. Reading the book for a second time, I can see that reflected in Love’s story (particularly since it ends with the Mermaid Parade). But for me, the central theme - and strength - of the story, is its overriding message of unconditional love and acceptance. Therein lies its power. Love says she hopes to send the message to trans children that “You’re beautiful. You are loved.” I think that message is conveyed to every reader.

Described as ‘celebratory and ground-breaking’ by the Sunday Times,  Julián Is A Mermaid has been widely applauded. Despite its quality, I think it was a risky move on the part of the commissioning publisher, Candlewick Press. Even Love admits, “I never expected I would be able to get it published.” Yes, it has received some negative feedback - but also many awards (more than you could shake a mermaid’s tail at).

It’s inevitable that children’s books become important markers in societal change. Gradually, they will begin reflecting developing attitudes and social norms. I’m so glad it was Julián who stepped into the conversation surrounding gender fluidity.

 Love’s interest in trans children was piqued by her friendship with a trans man. 

Talking to him and thinking about his journey got me curious about what kind of literature there is out there for kids who might be asking themselves these questions, and I started reading blogs of families who had children who were questioning their gender. 

 

A documentary about New York’s subculture of drag ball “houses” in the 1980s, (Paris Is Burning) was another influence. 

 

So many of the young people in that film had been rejected by their birth families, only to form new families in the form of houses,” said Love. “I kept thinking about what their lives would have been like if they’d received the kind of support from their birth families that they received from their gay mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters.

 

Here’s how Love sums up her book:

 

Julián is a Mermaid is a story about a boy and his Abuela. It is a story about revealing ourselves, and the beauty of being seen for who we are by someone who loves us.

Jessica Love

 

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

Love may have intended Julián to represent children who are questioning their gender identity, but it is far from explicit. It needn’t be read as a transgender story. It is unashamedly a message of love and acceptance; a reminder of ‘the power of those closest to children either to shame them into harmful conformity or to welcome and celebrate their self-expression.’

 

Look at the deft way in which Love shows that moment of doubt in Julián’s body language when Abuela sees him dressed as a mermaid. 

Does she still love me?

 

It was essential that there be a second of doubt. Love wanted that moment to function as genuine suspense, when the reader can almost see a risk for shame to darken the spread. But instead, the scene is met with affection, acceptance, and joy. Abuela—who understands that in some ways his life may be a harder one and chooses to embrace the difficulty nonetheless—gives Julián the tools he needs to most be himself.

- Kirkus Reviews

 

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

More significant to me is the fact that Julián and his Abuela are black (specifically, Afro-Latin). Which positions Julián is a Mermaid as a piece of art in the tradition of Ezra Jack Keats, the trailblazing author ‘who gave black children a place in story land.’ 

And like Keats’s characters, Love’s are illustrated with a ‘keen-eyed observations of urban life’, as they go about their everyday lives in Brooklyn.

Which takes us right back to the ongoing debate surrounding the representation (or lack thereof) of black characters in children’s literature - particularly those just going about everyday business.

 Why Julián is a Mermaid is Good to Read

It has a positive portrayal of black characters.

It challenges gender stereotypes.

It promotes visual literacy (reading a narrative through images alone).

It supports emotional literacy and develops empathy.

It reflects a more diverse family unit, with grandma taking the place of Julian’s parents.

It’s a joyful celebration of being yourself!

 

From Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

This beautiful book is one of the very few picture books about a gender non-conforming child. Yet it feels like a celebration of all children who want to do things differently than the parental figures in their lives—and a love letter to the grownups who deeply understand them. 

- gothamist.com

 

I am not advocating gender fluidity. But like Jessica Love, I am an advocate for empathy and understanding; acceptance and tolerance: justice and love - and quality children’s books like Julián.

Because picture books like this play such a vital role in a child’s healthy development (and ultimately, the well-being of society). They promote empathy - the ability to see things from someone else’s perspective. This skill will help equip future generations with the tools and emotional intelligence to do things differently from their parents.

Which will be no bad thing.

Because there is too much division and hatred in our world right now. 

Perhaps Julián is a Mermaid is the perfect antidote.

 

I don’t know if I got it all right, but I know I brought the best of myself to the effort because picture books are deep stuff, and it’s a big deal to get in on the ground floor of a child’s developing mind.

- Jessica Love on Julián is a Mermaid

 Find out more about Jessica Love on her website


 

Illustration © 2018 by Jessica Love

 

‘Though it could easily feel preachy, this charmingly subversive tale instead offers a simple yet powerful story of the importance of being seen and affirmed.’

- Kirkus Reviews


Buy UK




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 Good to Read

Mermaid books for Julián to enjoy

Father Bear Comes Home by Maurice Sendak

The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnball

SourcesJulián Is a Mermaid by jessica love (Candlewick Press 2018) Wilson criticised for transgender children comment by Heloise Wood (Thebookseller.com, april 25 2019) 'I am proven joyously wrong': picture book about trans child wins major prize amid moral panic by alison flood (Theguardian.com, september 11 2019) Trans kids’ book ‘Julian is a Mermaid’ is winning hearts and awards by josh jackman (pinknews.co.uk, FEBRUARY 17 2019) press for Julián is a Mermaid by assorted authors (Jesslove.format) Profile: Jessica Love by sara ortiz (kirkusreviews.com may 25 2018) Julián Is a Mermaid review (publishersweekly.com) New Diverse Children's Books That Actually Reflect The Lives Of NYC Kids by jennifer vanasco (gothamist.com, may 3 2018) © 2020 BY TIM WARNES (UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.