The Seal Children

by Jackie Morris

Overview

When a fisherman falls in love with a selkie – half-woman, half-seal – she gives him her sealskin as a sign of her love, and bears him two children, Ffion and Morlo, before returning to her own people.

When a stranger comes to the village, telling of a land far away, the children remember their mother’s stories of the cities of gold and pearls beneath the waves….

Presented in a beautiful, new, gift edition, this is a haunting story of love and freedom, for all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910959473
Publisher:	Otter-Barry Books
Publication date:	03/09/2019
Edition description:	Revised edition
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator, photographer and painter. She lives in a small house beside the sea in Wales. Her many books include Tell Me a Dragon, The Snow Leopard, The Wild Swans and the illustrations for Ted Hughes’s How the Whale Became. She has a lively presence on social media and the progress of her work can be followed on her blog: www.jackiemorris.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

"A magical tale of music and nature, which uses the selkie myth to show how the love between parent and child transcends loss and separation. Jackie Morris's lyrical illustrations and complete assurance of tone make it a treasure from the deep places in the human heart." - Amanda Craig

"A lyrical story, with beautifully painted watercolours." - Books for Keeps

"A lyrical text and beautiful illustrations combine to make a haunting tale of sadness and of hope." The Ultimate First Book Guide

From the Publisher

Gr 2-5-A short introduction sets this original tale in a "place on the edge of Wales-. where a village once stood." Fine watercolor vistas set the stage, first depicting cottages near the sea, and then indicating the passage of time by showing the remnants of stone fireplaces. Returning to the past, the story recounts how a fisherman marries a selkie woman. After the birth of two children and the passage of years, the woman predictably languishes. Morris describes her return to the sea and then turns to the second part of the tale, in which a visitor kindles the villagers' dreams by telling them about a faraway place where they could own their own land. Unfortunately, they do not have enough money to pay for the passage. Recalling how his mother described her homeland as shining with "cities of gold and pearls," the selkie son journeys to her underwater realm. Although the sea is filled more with natural beauty than with riches, he brings back a box of pearls that allows the villagers to set sail for the New World, and then returns to live with his mother's people. The illustrations are pleasing, with full-page views echoed in picture bars running below or alongside the facing text. Though somewhat lacking the haunting tone and emotional resonance of many selkie tales, the narrative is smoothly crafted. Storytellers will find many captivating passages, and the magical bond between humans and seals is ever intriguing.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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