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P is for Parade, Passamaquoddy, and Ponyo in a Mermaid World

April 19, 2016 Claire Annette Noland 6 Comments

P (1)

 

The Native American Passamaquoddy tribe of northeastern Maine and Canada tell the story of the Ne Hwas,  two girls who disobeyed their mother by swimming where they were told not to go. The water was enchanted and the girls turned into mermaids. Unfortunately for them, their days of playing on the shore were over and they became responsible for towing their parents in a canoe.

P ne whas

(Sisters painting by Linda Olson – Fine Art America)

There are many Native American mermaid tales. You can read about some of them here.

I have discovered that mermaid celebrations are held in numerous communities. One of the best is held each year on Coney Island in New York. You can read about it in

Mermaids on Parade by Melanie Hope Greenberg (author and illustrator.)

P mermaids on parade

This picture book begins – Once a year when vacation starts I march in a parade to celebrate the opening of the ocean during the summer solstice… 

Doesn’t this just make you want to join along? This picture book follows a young girl who dresses as a “shy mermaid coming out of her shell,” as she joins many others in the annual Coney Island parade when “mermaids, Neptunes, and other legendary sea creatures leave their oceans to walk on land.” The illustrations are joyful, bright, and festive.

According to author Melanie Hope Greenberg, the festival began in 1903 to celebrate the end of summer beach season. It ended in 1954 but was resurrected in 1983 as the Mermaid Parade. Now it is held at the beginning of the summer beach season and includes hundreds of creative artists, writers, singers, musicians and actors. The 2016 parade will be held on June 18th. Here is the link for information. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Finally, if you are interested in an animated mermaid film, take a look at the 2008 Japanese film, Ponyo, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Loosely based on Anderson’s Little Mermaid, this is a story of a boy and his relationship with a goldfish girl who falls in love with her. It is not a tale of unrequited love, however, but a story of acceptance and wanting what is best for someone you truly care about.  Here is an interesting commentary of the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bskgNOXbdiE

Have you ever been to a mermaid celebration?

This post is part of the A to Z Blog Challenge. I am a member of Pam’s Unconventional Alliance Team along with Shalini  who blogs at Something’s Cooking  and Tale of Two Tomatoes, Rajlakshmi who blogs at The Twinkle Eyed Traveler, and Parul blogging at Happiness and Food. Pam blogs at the Unconventional Librarian. Stop by and visit them. There’s lots of fun going on!

 

Filed Under: Blogging A to Z, Books, Mermaids, Places Tagged With: Melanie Hope Greenberg, Mermaids on Parade, Ne Hwas, Passamaquoddy tribe memaid legend, Ponyo

Previous Post: « O is for Oannes and Oceania
Next Post: Q is for Queen, Quotes and Qipao in a Mermaid World »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tarkabarka says

    April 19, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I would love to go to a mermaid celebration… also, Ponyo is freaking adorable! I love Miyazaki movies. 🙂

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    The Multicolored Diary
    MopDog

    Reply
  2. Cynthia says

    April 20, 2016 at 7:24 am

    I haven’t seen a mermaid parade before. Sounds like fun!

    Reply
  3. Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor says

    April 20, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    I’m amazed at how many cultures have tales of mermaids. I had no idea it was such a universal story. Fascinating!

    Reply
  4. Liz A. says

    April 21, 2016 at 12:55 am

    THe mermaid celebration sounds like fun.

    Reply
  5. melanie hope greenberg says

    October 14, 2016 at 9:30 am

    I just found this webpage. Thanks so much for mentioning my book, MERMAIDS ON PARADE> Far Shore!

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      October 15, 2016 at 6:22 am

      Hi Melanie,
      thanks for stopping by.
      I love your book, Mermaids on Parade. Hopefully I’ll be able to come and watch the parade someday.

      Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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claireannettenolandbooks

Author | teacher | Field Trip Planner
books that take you places
Raven’s Gift
Nancy Bess Had a Dress
Evie’s Field Day
Out and About w George series

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Today’s the day! I’m the featured author on to Today’s the day! I’m the featured author on today’s Summer of Stories! Take a look and let me know what you think. The link is in my bio.

And then check out all the other great stories!

#summerofstories #floursackdresses #floursack #makedo #picturebookreadaloud 

@angelac.hawkins @gnomeroadpublishing @eringreneaux
I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award v I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award voting continues until July 18th for members of SCBWI. Our book, Nancy Bess Had a Dress, is in the Southwest Division (where illustrator @angelac.hawkins lives)

Members, you can vote for books in all of the regions.
Cast your vote at this link: 

https://www.scbwi.org/crystal-kite/CK8

I will be sharing Nancy Bess July 11th online for the Summer of Stories https://summerofstories.substack.com/

and I'll be doing story time and craft at the Three River Public Library on July 11th at 10:30

@gnomeroadpublishing @pbspree @eringreneaux @tularecountylib 
@scbwicencal #crystalkiteaward
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We are enjoying a lovely summer’s day with CARL’S SLEEPY AFTERNOON thanks to our friends @laughingelephantbooks who sent us a copy signed by Alexandra Day and Carl!
Happy 40th Anniversary, Carl! You are such a good dog 🐾❤️
Carl has an opportunity to have a quiet and sleepy afternoon but does he rest? Not our Carl!
We’re on our 3rd generation loving this noble good dog and look forward to reading about his adventures for many more years!

#gooddogcarl #picturebookdogs #summerreading @mrernierecommends @christinabeeghly @laurennolandhajik @roxannenoland @gn705
Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking your young ones to a museum. And I suggest, before you go, you share the delightful picture book, MousterWorks, written and illustrated by @angelac.hawkins
Young mice, Cosette and Pépin, join Grand-mère on a splendid adventure through a mouse hole into a museum. They gaze at brilliant interpretations of well-known painting by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Edward Banister. Cosette excitedly engages with the art while her brother, Pépin, searches for cheese in the art and eventually realizes that he can be an artist and paint his favorite things.

The final photo is 2.5 year old Alice at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. She was captivated by "Home Sweet Home" (after Seurat, Manet, and Pippin) painted by Wangari Mathenge

Art is for all ages.

To read my full review, visit my blog https://afieldtriplife.com/mousterworks-lets-go-to-a-museum/

@gnomeroadpublishing #mousterworks #artmuseumswithkids
@laurennolandhajik
Looking forward to simple unscheduled days! #july Looking forward to simple unscheduled days!
#july #afieldtriplife #summer
Look what we found featured at the library! #nancy Look what we found featured at the library! #nancybesshadadress 
Thank you @tularecountylib 
#summerreading #picturebooks #librarylove 
@angelac.hawkins @gnomeroadpublishing
Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" lis Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" list is visiting libraries where I love to see staff recommendations. SUMMER: A Solstice Story written by @kelseyegross and illustrated by @renataliwska is such a lovely picture book.
Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Bear, Sparrow, Rabbit, Woodpecker, and Deer gather to celebrate the arrival of summer with its gifts of light and new life. The friends share sprouts, fresh water, flowers, and fruit each accompanied by special wishes for the little ones to shine, glow, shimmer, gleam, and blaze bright with solstice light. They spend the day with festivities as they dance, splash, hop, and savor a forest feast.
I shared this with a group of children the night before the Solstice so that they understood how special this date is. Then, we read it again as the sun set on the longest day of the year after partaking of many of the same activities done by the woodland animals. They really enjoyed the center pages that fold out.
This is a soft, gentle, and breathtakingly beautiful picture book that should be enjoyed all summer long. @pbspree #summersolstice #summerasolsticestory
We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decad We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decades so we are excited to celebrate 40 years of our favorite picture book series! I love the book mom and Carl’s adventures are the best!
So let’s raise a toast to Carl, the very good dog, and to  @laughingelephantbooks Here’s to many more wonderful years of ❤️ filled stories.
#wewon #gooddogcarl #afieldtriplife #picturebookdogs @laurennolandhajik @christinabeeghly @roxannenoland
Military families are made up of heroes, those who Military families are made up of heroes, those who leave home to serve and those who stay behind. It isn’t easy to find books featuring military families, so I was excited to discover when AS MUCH as the STARS: A Story of Love Across the. Miles – A Child’s Goodbye/ AS MUCH AS THE STARS: A Story of love across The Miles: A Mother’s Farewell. I love flip books because they are clever and provide a fun way to read two stories told from different perspectives. AS MUCH AS THE STARS does an exceptional job of showing the love and emotions surrounding a deployment and then a joyous return. In this authentic, well-written story, one half follows a young girl and her relationship with her military father. The other half features the viewpoint of that girl, now grown, whose son leaves home to serve. warm and colorful illustrations add to the text showing the love that is shared even when they are separated by great distances.
This is a wonderful book for all families and will help everyone understand the sacrifices that our brave service members make. I just wish this book had been available when I was teaching children in military families.
Written by Forrest Zenone, Skyler Zenone, and Tricia Stone-Shumaker
Illustrations by Penny Weber
@poppysadventures1 @pennyweberart @laurennolandhajik #militaryfamilies #asmuchasthestars
#mrernierecommends
FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road a FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road around Whale Rock Reservoir
The story of how they got there reminds me of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” 
Read how these delicate blossoms came to grace the highways in San Luis Obispo County: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/johnny-appleseed-sweet-peas-planted-120000196.html

Lupine, poppies, and wild mustard are also blooming.

#sweetpeas #jackcreekfarms #roadtrip #afieldtriplife #missrumphius
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