Ah, the first of two books that I found at the library and a couple friends got me for Christmas. This particular book seemed to have disappeared from the library system the last I searched, making me very happy that I can now call it my own.
Grainne is the only child of the Lord and Lady of Skye, born during their later years. On her eighth birthday, she rescues an injured seal pup. For ten years, on her birthday, she and her seal friend meet on the beach and spend the day together. It is on her eighteenth birthday that Grainne comes to the beach, meeting not her seal friend but a strange man, Deodatus. She discovers he is indeed her dear friend, a seal-man. He offers a chance to see the wonders of Tir nan Og, the land of the forever young. Wary because of old tales speaking of the dangers of seal-men luring the unsuspecting to their deaths, Grainne retreats behind a rowan tree for the tree is said to be a guard against magic.
But the young princess also cannot deny her love for her friend, and yet she also recognizes the duty she holds to her people as the heiress of the small kingdom. Seven years pass, and Grainne rejects all suitors and continues to visit the beach and Deodatus. On her twenty-fifth birthday, her father tells her that her future is to be chosen for her, insisting that she is now to be wed. Is there any hope for this possibly dangerous love? Might Deodatus have a way to win Grainne’s hand? Or will Grainne be forced to marry a man she doesn’t love?
This is one of the first books to introduce me to lore of selkies or seal-people. Ever since then, I have had a slight fascination with them. Possibly because they seem to be one of the more elusive mythical creatures out there. While I recently discovered a story depicting a selkie man as not being able to survive a full night on land, this tale reveals that, at least some, seal-men can survive on land for years but cannot return to the sea so long as someone on land holds their sealskin.
In a short author’s note in the front, on the copyright page, it is revealed that this story has been passed down for a few generations. The author took the oral Scottish tale and added her own details. Tends to be a plus for me when tales have a special history like that. :-)
The artwork . . . looking at it, I have to say that I’m on a seesaw. The pictures are lovely and help tell the story wonderfully. But there are some poses and faces that just look odd to me. It’s possible that being crafted in part by watercolors could have played a part. (I personally feel that watercolors are a nightmare to use, difficult to control at times, and next to impossible to get a shade above a pale wash. I bow in honor to those artists who have mastered this medium even in part. It is beyond my meager abilities.) Or it could just be the artist’s style. It probably doesn’t help either when the costumes have little to no body definition. Ugh. I don’t know. Just looking through the story and reading it, the pictures don’t really bother me. It’s when I stop and look at the details that I find myself being driven crazy. This is possibly one book where the illustrations are second place in why I love it. Now this is just my opinion. Someone out there may look at it and say that the costumes are accurate for this time period or that everything about the pictures are amazing.
The tale was recorded by Sheila MacGill-Callahan and illustrated by Kris Waldherr. Together they fill thirty-two pages with this beautiful tale. I would give this story four swimming dragons out of five. I would recommend this story to anyone interested in elusive tales, selkies, or Scottish legends.
Hope you enjoyed. Bye.
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