Folklore story about selkies ( )

a half seal/ half woman is taken from home by a fisherman. The man says if he marries her for 7 years he will give her the skin back. The two have a child together. She takes the child to meet her seal family. He realizes she is meant to be with the seals and sets her free. weird book, I would not recommend reading it to children! 2-5th ( )

In this lovely adaptation of a Scottish folktale, a young fisherman spies a beautiful selkie maiden one moonlit Midsummer's Eve night, and, stealing her seal-skin while she is in human form, and dancing on the rocks, insists that she marry him. Agreeing, but only when he promises to free her after seven years, the selkie maiden becomes a wife, and eventually, a mother. But her longing for the sea is unabating, and when, the seven years having passed, her husband refuses to honor his word, she is inconsolable. It falls to her young son, Andrew, terrified of losing his mother, but determined to comfort her in her grief, to find her sealskin, and restore her to freedom...

Lyrically told, and beautifully illustrated, The Seal Mother takes the well-known story of The Seal Wife, and focuses on the bond between mother and son, rather than wife and husband. This astute choice adds particular poignancy to the tale, giving Andrew's actions, in freeing his mother, despite his own fears, and his sense of loss, greater depth of meaning. His reward, and the reward given to his descendents, is all the more precious, for being bought with such self-sacrifice. The artwork, done in watercolor and gouache, is just as appealing as the narrative, with a palette that evokes the sea, and an occasional pointillist quality (particularly in the depiction of the ocean) that add to the sense of enchantment. All in all, an outstanding picture-book (I think I need to track down my own copy!), one I recommend to all who enjoys selkie stories. ( )

The Seal Mother is a cautionary tale of sorts that warns against selfishness and asks the reader to place his or herself into someone else's shoes. The book follows the format of a framework, having the story told to the listener by the old fisherman. The illustrations are similar to Gerstein's other work, Queen Esther the Morning Star. The style is different from his other work, being somewhat more subdued but just as vivid. This work could be used in the classroom to teach selflessness or from a literary standpoint you could teach the concept of a framework text.

Fine Condition