The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam by Kirk Kirkpatrick

Kirk Kirkpatrick recently released his first children's book called The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam.  The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam is a sweet story for young readers about a mermaid who goes swimming with her fish friend.  While they are swimming, a grumpy old clam on the ground opens his mouth and snaps it shut on the mermaid's tail.  Oh no... the mermaid is stuck!  How will she get away?  How will her fish friend help her?  Keep reading to learn more about The Mermaid and the Grumpy Clam, how the mermaid gets away from him, and for a quick minilesson about story elements.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

---

Author Summary

A mermaid and her fish pal are playing, laughing, and swimming under the sea until a grumpy old clam spoils the fun. This is a delightful, cute, and funny story of a mermaid having to deal with an unexpected challenge and shows how just one good friend can help us out in unexpected ways if we just ask.

🍎 Title: The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam

🍎 Author: Kirk Kirkpatrick

🍎 Illustrator: Kirk Kirkpatrick

🍎 Publisher: Kirk Books

🍎 Date: October 12, 2020

🍎 Pages: 30

Reading The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam

Before reading The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam with your students, take a few minutes to preview and talk about the illustrations with them.  Who are the characters in the story?  Where does the story take place?  What is the problem of the story?  How do the mermaid and the fish solve the problem?  

After you preview The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam, go ahead and read the story.  Talk about the events of the story and whether or not your students correctly identified the characters, setting, problem, and solution.  You can also ask what the mermaid learned at the end of the story?  She learned that grumpy clams need love too!

Story Elements

🍎 Characters: the mermaid, the fish, and the clam

🍎 Setting: under the sea, in the ocean

🍎 Problem: The grumpy old clam bit the mermaid's tail and won't let go.

🍎 Solution: The fish tickles the clam and makes him laugh.  When the clam opens his mouth to laugh, the mermaid swims away.  

To learn more about The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam by Kirk Kirkpatrick, please visit Kirk Kirkpatrick's website (https://kirkbookspublishing.com/).

(Next Article: Six Fun Facts about Groundhogs)