Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is a 1966 children's picture book written and illustrated by Evaline Ness.

Published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, it won the 1967 Caldecott Medal for its illustrations.

To keep herself busy, she tells tall tales, including her mother being a mermaid and that Bangs, her cat, can talk to her.

One day, Sam tells the pleading boy of a not-too-distant cove where he can find her mermaid mother.

Sam's father rescues Thomas, who is sick with laryngitis over the incident, but Bangs is washed away.