Rónán and the Mermaid

Written by Marianne McShane · Illustrated by Jordi Solano

A boy is saved by a mysterious singing woman. Could she be the legendary Mermaid Saint?

4.5/7 Bookroo expert·4.0/5 Goodreads · 132 ratings

32 pages· ~520L

$16.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

On Ireland's coast, a monk discovers a boy washed ashore, saved by a mysterious woman with golden hair. As the boy regains strength, he recalls her song and a silver ring. The monks wonder if she is the legendary Mermaid Saint, rumored to wander the coast for centuries. Dive into this enchanting tale of mystery and legend, where the echoes of a mermaid's song may still be heard.

From the publisher

An Irish storyteller revisits the little-known legend of the Mermaid Saint in a haunting, beautifully illustrated tale of kindness, music, and longing. Long ago, on the eastern coast of Ireland, a monk from the Abbey of Bangor was collecting driftwood along the wave-tossed shore when he found a boy washed up amid a circle of seals. At first the boy, wrapped in a shawl of woven seagrass, could barely move or speak. But when he regained his strength, he recalled being brought ashore by a lady with long golden hair who sang him to safety and gave him a silver ring. The monks knew the legend of a mermaid who had wandered the coast for three hundred years. Could it possibly have been her? Inspired by a story told in medieval chronicles of Irish history about a wondrous happening in the year 558, debut author Marianne McShane weaves a captivating tale, while Jordi Solano captures the legend’s spare but welcoming abbey on the rocky shore – a setting that makes you believe that if you listen hard enough, you too can hear the mermaid’s song.

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