You might think a children’s story about a mermaid sprang from the imagination of author Bill Gerwick because he’s a professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical sciences at UC San Diego. Or, maybe because he’s been a scuba diver for more than 50 years. But on both counts, you’d be wrong.
His new children’s book, “A Jamaican Mermaid Tale,” actually stems from an experience Gerwick had with his childhood nanny. (And just for the record, he admits he’s never seen a mermaid.)
A Jamaican woman named Violet was not only his childhood nanny but also a good family friend. Violet was 100 years old and confined to bed when she told Gerwick the story of a young girl in Jamaica who discovers a mermaid who lost a golden comb. The girl helps the mermaid get back the comb and is richly rewarded for her kindness.
Violet died two years later, but Gerwick never forgot the tale. “The experience of hearing this story from Violet was spellbinding,” he recalls. “A few years later, I had a chance to develop it through some drafts, ultimately settling on the idea of making Violet herself the little girl who is the main character. I welcomed the opportunity to honor the memory of this special person.”
Gerwick has always been closely connected to the sea. He grew up the youngest of four rambunctious children in the foothills of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay area. He has fond memories of driving with his father to the tidepools of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, to look at sea stars, urchins, and shiny seaweed.
It was the rainbow-colored seaweed that fascinated him the most. Years later, as a student at UC Davis, Gerwick realized that no scientist had ever figured out how that iridescence occurred. So he and his professor researched it themselves and discovered that a series of thin layers of protein on its outer surface acted like a super soap bubble to reflect the colors of the rainbow. They eventually published a scientific article on the subject.
After that, Gerwick came to La Jolla to work on his doctorate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, focusing his research on marine life as sources for new pharmaceuticals. He’s written nearly 500 scientific papers and book chapters but never attempted a children’s book before this one.
Gerwick, who has four grandchildren, says his dream is to distribute the book to kids throughout the world. “I hope that children of diverse backgrounds read and fall in love with the kind spirit of little Violet. And I hope the story kindles a love of exploring our amazing natural world – if not finding mermaids, then seeing the incredible adaptations of life on our ocean planet.”
“A Jamaican Mermaid Tale” is published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. and is written for children 5 to 10 years old. Gerwick is donating any book profits beyond publication costs to a children’s foundation in Jamaica. To purchase the book, go to https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com.
