Julian Is a Mermaid
by Jessica Love
A wordless-spread masterclass in how a grandmother's silence can be the highest form of love
The story
On the subway home with his abuela, Julian sees three women dressed as mermaids and is transfixed. Back at the apartment while his abuela bathes, he builds his own mermaid costume from a curtain, a fern, and his abuela's lipstick. When she catches him, her wordless response changes everything — and leads him to a community he did not know was waiting for him.
Age verdict
Best at 4-7, still resonates through 10 and into adulthood. The surface story is accessible to preschoolers, while the deeper layers about queer childhood and intergenerational love deepen with the reader's maturity.
Our take
A picture book that resonates deeply with parents and educators while maintaining genuine engagement for children. The exceptional representation work, emotional depth, and identity affirmation create a top-shelf title for affirming families, while the brief format and visual-humor dependency mean it lands differently for young readers than for adults.
What stands out
Each audience's top 3 dimensions. Out of 30 scored per book.
Kids love
- Heart-punch Exceptional
Comparable to A Court of Mist and Fury — When Abuela silently returns with her own necklace and places it around Julian's neck, the wordless affirmation delivers devastating emotional release. Sits at tier 9 because the catharsis equals the YA anchor.
- Mental movie Exceptional
Love's watercolor rendering of Julian's wonder, costumes, dream sequence. Sits above because emotional specificity exceeds the graphic anchor's visual storytelling.
Parents love
- Stereotype-breaker Exceptional
Comparable to Gathering Blue — Systematically dismantles "boys can't be feminine" stereotype. Julian's identity is affirmed by abuela without question. Sits at because representation is central to entire emotional architecture.
- Moral reasoning Exceptional
Comparable to All Our Yesterdays — Adult re-reads uncover hidden subplot of Abuela's subtle affirmation. The story rewards parental reflection on unconditional acceptance. Sits at because the rewatch-worthiness matches the time-paradox anchor.
Teachers love
- Read-aloud power Strong
Comparable to Interrupting Chicken — Excellent read-aloud with performed dialogue and visual pacing inviting read-along participation. Sits below tier 10 because performable content is visual-dependent rather than purely vocal.
- Classroom versatility Strong
younger students enjoy illustrations, older engage identity conversations. Sits at tier 8 because curriculum flexibility matches multi-grade reach.
✓ Perfect for
- • Families raising children who are exploring self-expression and gender-expansive play
- • Grandparents and other trusted adults who want to model wordless acceptance
- • Classroom SEL libraries focused on identity, belonging, and empathy
- • Parents seeking exceptional Afro-Latinx representation in picture books
- • Readers who value quiet, artful picture books over loud comedic ones
Not ideal for
Children seeking fast-paced adventure, loud humor, or action-driven plots will find this too quiet; it is a feeling book carried almost entirely by images, and it rewards slow looking rather than quick page-turns.
⚠ Heads up
At a glance
- Pages
- 40
- Chapters
- 9
- Words
- 0k
- Lexile
- AD380L
- Difficulty
- Easy
- POV
- Third Person Limited
- Illustration
- Fully Illustrated
- Published
- 2018
- Illustrator
- Jessica Love
- ISBN
- 9781406380637
Mood & style
You'll know it worked when…
Single sitting (3-6 minutes read-aloud). Children often request immediate re-reading to dwell on the illustrations.
More like this
Same genre, similar age range. Ranked by kid score.
Want more picks like this?
Get 5 hand-picked book reviews for your child's age — one email a month.