Selkie

In this original story based on the selkie tradition of Scotland - apparently it was inspired by the author's trip to the island of Colonsay - Gillian McClure spins a tale of a boy, his fascination with nearby Seal Island, and its phocine residents, and his friendship with a young selkie-girl. Although warned by his granny to stay away from the island, Peter cannot resist its lure, following the crusty oysterman across the sands, during low tide, and meeting and befriending Selkie, a seal-girl he finds trapped in a net. When the oysterman captures Selkie, and holds her prisoner, determined to extract information about harvesting the riches of the sea, it falls to Peter to free his new friend...

I can't say that the story here worked as show more well for me, as some of the more traditional selkie tales I have read - titles like Mordicai Gerstein's The Seal Mother, or Susan Cooper's The Selkie Girl - but it was engaging enough, particularly when joined to McClure's artwork, which I did enjoy. Her palette is well suited to a depiction of the sea, and some of her border work, using sea motifs, was quite lovely. Recommended to young readers looking for original, rather than traditional selkie stories. show less