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Seal Mother - A Selkie Tale in Verse
A Selkie Tale in Verse
One lonely seal
in the midst of the ocean
rolls on the waves
to the rhythmical motion.
The seal watches over
the child on the sand.
Her lovely young daughter
born of the land.
On Midsummer’s Eve seals swim up onto the sand, shed their skin and transform into beautiful young women to give thanks to the mysterious Moon Goddess.
Lost in dance, no one notices a shimmering sealskin being stolen; leaving one beautiful Selkie trapped on the land forever.
Can an unlikely friend help her reclaim her skin, or is she destined to remain forever in human form?
‘Seal Mother’ – a magical Selkie tale of love, loss and deceit, told in verse.
One lonely seal
in the midst of the ocean
rolls on the waves
to the rhythmical motion.
The seal watches over
the child on the sand.
Her lovely young daughter
born of the land.
On Midsummer’s Eve seals swim up onto the sand, shed their skin and transform into beautiful young women to give thanks to the mysterious Moon Goddess.
Lost in dance, no one notices a shimmering sealskin being stolen; leaving one beautiful Selkie trapped on the land forever.
Can an unlikely friend help her reclaim her skin, or is she destined to remain forever in human form?
‘Seal Mother’ – a magical Selkie tale of love, loss and deceit, told in verse.
51 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2018
About the author
Rose English
19books182followersLiving on 'England's Green & Pleasant Land', amongst the gentle rolling hills of the Herefordshire Countryside, Rose's house is wall to wall books. She even has a 'leaning tower of paperbacks'.
Rose is a dreamer, preferring a simple & quiet life. Often spending time lone, although never lonely, being ever surrounded by great characters when lost in a good book. She loves theatre and the arts, adoring live performances on stage. Rose has very eclectic tastes.
Working as a school librarian, and sharing her love of books with the children was the best job she ever had. However, life moves on and another chapter was only a page turn away.
Now working in an entirely different library, in Hereford's Wye Valley NHS Trust Hospital, Rose spends her day cleaning and issuing 'Medical Equipment'.
Most days she can be found walking around, with her head in a book or eyes glued to a kindle. (In all the years she has been partaking of this pastime, there has only ever been one accident, when she walked into a street lamp, but then she had been momentarily blinded by the sun. Not that there is a lot of sun in the UK).
Writing for Rose has only ever really been a hobby, something she has done for many years but on reaching the half century she received a book ‘Things to do now you are fifty’ and on that list was ‘write a book’.
Winning second prize in a Daily Bookworm competition for the short story ‘One Breath’, then being encourage by online Facebook friends to enter a holiday DigiWriting contest and winning FIRST PRIZE with ‘The Magic of Grandfather Christmas’ Rose was inspired to turn one of the stories, if not both into full length novels.
Rose also has a little friend, a red golden King Charles Spaniel (Ghost of Christmas Past from the Young Ebenezer series) named Miss Ruby Heart. Ruby loves children's books and can be found on social media as @MissRubyHeart1
One final little secret for you, she has a very serious addiction;
Rose English is a Read-a-holic.
Happy Reading:-)
FaceBookhttps://www.facebook.com/RoseEnglish....
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/RoseEnglishUK
Rose is a dreamer, preferring a simple & quiet life. Often spending time lone, although never lonely, being ever surrounded by great characters when lost in a good book. She loves theatre and the arts, adoring live performances on stage. Rose has very eclectic tastes.
Working as a school librarian, and sharing her love of books with the children was the best job she ever had. However, life moves on and another chapter was only a page turn away.
Now working in an entirely different library, in Hereford's Wye Valley NHS Trust Hospital, Rose spends her day cleaning and issuing 'Medical Equipment'.
Most days she can be found walking around, with her head in a book or eyes glued to a kindle. (In all the years she has been partaking of this pastime, there has only ever been one accident, when she walked into a street lamp, but then she had been momentarily blinded by the sun. Not that there is a lot of sun in the UK).
Writing for Rose has only ever really been a hobby, something she has done for many years but on reaching the half century she received a book ‘Things to do now you are fifty’ and on that list was ‘write a book’.
Winning second prize in a Daily Bookworm competition for the short story ‘One Breath’, then being encourage by online Facebook friends to enter a holiday DigiWriting contest and winning FIRST PRIZE with ‘The Magic of Grandfather Christmas’ Rose was inspired to turn one of the stories, if not both into full length novels.
Rose also has a little friend, a red golden King Charles Spaniel (Ghost of Christmas Past from the Young Ebenezer series) named Miss Ruby Heart. Ruby loves children's books and can be found on social media as @MissRubyHeart1
One final little secret for you, she has a very serious addiction;
Rose English is a Read-a-holic.
Happy Reading:-)
FaceBookhttps://www.facebook.com/RoseEnglish....
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/RoseEnglishUK
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 19, 2020
'One lonely seal
in the midst of the ocean
rolls on the waves
to the rhythmical motion.
The seal watches over
the child on the sand.
Her lovely young daughter
born of the land.'
A haunting little tale of love, loss and deceit, told in verse.
Heartbreaking and absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
And don't even get me started on the illustrations. They are GORGEOUS!
One Selkie's sealskin is stolen by a fisherman who longs for a beautiful wife. He hides the skin and makes the lovely Selkie his wife. But a seal is not meant to walk on land, and the Selkie can't stop longing for water and home.
Will she go back to her brethren, in the waves? Or will she stay back with her little children of the land?
I'll leave that for you to find out. But I tell you this, her choice is heartbreaking.
Seal Mother - A Selkie Tale in Verseis a wonderful tale for youngsters and adults alike. And I highly recommend it to anyone in search for a beautiful read.
in the midst of the ocean
rolls on the waves
to the rhythmical motion.
The seal watches over
the child on the sand.
Her lovely young daughter
born of the land.'
A haunting little tale of love, loss and deceit, told in verse.
Heartbreaking and absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
And don't even get me started on the illustrations. They are GORGEOUS!
One Selkie's sealskin is stolen by a fisherman who longs for a beautiful wife. He hides the skin and makes the lovely Selkie his wife. But a seal is not meant to walk on land, and the Selkie can't stop longing for water and home.
Will she go back to her brethren, in the waves? Or will she stay back with her little children of the land?
I'll leave that for you to find out. But I tell you this, her choice is heartbreaking.
Seal Mother - A Selkie Tale in Verseis a wonderful tale for youngsters and adults alike. And I highly recommend it to anyone in search for a beautiful read.
January 30, 2019
I loved this wonderful rhyming interpretation of the Selkie folklore.
The story tells the tale of a seal, trapped on land when a fisherman steals her pelt on midsummer's eve. She marries and has a family but always misses her old way of life, until one day she finds her seal skin and returns to the sea.
The beautiful illustrations add to this entertaining and poignant story.
The story tells the tale of a seal, trapped on land when a fisherman steals her pelt on midsummer's eve. She marries and has a family but always misses her old way of life, until one day she finds her seal skin and returns to the sea.
The beautiful illustrations add to this entertaining and poignant story.
October 26, 2018
“Seal Mother” by Rose English is a beautiful, poignant story told in rhyme. I love the fairy-tale feeling of the helpful mouse and the way a shell is used to communicate. Illustrations further bring this tale to life. The dance of the Selkies is one of my favorite pictures; it perfectly captures the moment.
Trapped on land, the Selkie has an overpowering need to reclaim her life in the sea, to be free, to be herself. The ending is powerful. This story spoke to me of our own need to be true to ourselves. “Seal Mother” would be an excellent read for all ages.
Trapped on land, the Selkie has an overpowering need to reclaim her life in the sea, to be free, to be herself. The ending is powerful. This story spoke to me of our own need to be true to ourselves. “Seal Mother” would be an excellent read for all ages.
October 7, 2019
This take on the selfie legend is pretty good, if not the smoothest told. I love the focus on the after, the connection with the children and it reframed the story quite well.
July 8, 2018
Beautiful
I loved this so much I wish it had lasted long. Every poem of the story was so clever about seal mother,it really is recommended for all ages to read,enchanting story right through.
I loved this so much I wish it had lasted long. Every poem of the story was so clever about seal mother,it really is recommended for all ages to read,enchanting story right through.
May 6, 2019
I devoured this short story, so skilfully written by an author who I have the utmost respect for. She doesn't write for the masses, she doesn't stray into writing what is popular or in fashion. Rose English writes from the heart about things that capture her vivid imagination and she weaves a story so beautiful that it feels as though she has placed her hands around your heart and is squeezing gently.
Seal Mother is a tragic tale of love, betrayal, loss and heart-breaking decisions.
It's a children book, but don't let that stop you from reading it as an adult. Let Rose's poetical verse sweep you into a maelstrom of emotions as you forget your existence for a while and ride the waves with Seal Mother and her emotional journey.
Seal Mother is a tragic tale of love, betrayal, loss and heart-breaking decisions.
It's a children book, but don't let that stop you from reading it as an adult. Let Rose's poetical verse sweep you into a maelstrom of emotions as you forget your existence for a while and ride the waves with Seal Mother and her emotional journey.
July 9, 2018
A wonderful tale of a beautiful Selkie cleverly told in verse. With twists and turns to keep you guessing and moments of both sadness and hope, this marvellous story will appeal to both youngsters and adults alike. The illustrations are fabulous too and a perfect match for the story.
Highly recommended. I loved it!
Highly recommended. I loved it!
March 15, 2021
“Seal Mother” by Rose English is a beautiful, poignant story told in rhyme. I love the fairy-tale feeling of the helpful mouse and the way a shell is used to communicate. Illustrations further bring this tale to life. The dance of the Selkies is one of my favorite pictures; it perfectly captures the moment.
Trapped on land, the Selkie has an overpowering need to reclaim her life in the sea, to be free, to be herself. The ending is powerful. This story spoke to me of our own need to be true to ourselves. “Seal Mother” would be an excellent read for all ages.
Trapped on land, the Selkie has an overpowering need to reclaim her life in the sea, to be free, to be herself. The ending is powerful. This story spoke to me of our own need to be true to ourselves. “Seal Mother” would be an excellent read for all ages.
March 5, 2020
Seal Mother ~ A Selkie Tale in Verse is a delightful book telling a familiar story in a unique way. The illustrated poetry is a pleasure to read and reread.
The legends about seals coming to life in human form have inspired and seduced me ever since we moved to Scotland and Seal Mother is so beautiful.
This paperback would be perfect as a gift for a young adult or teenager who appreciates literature, folk tales and poetry but it also appeals to oldies like myself. Just beautiful!
The legends about seals coming to life in human form have inspired and seduced me ever since we moved to Scotland and Seal Mother is so beautiful.
This paperback would be perfect as a gift for a young adult or teenager who appreciates literature, folk tales and poetry but it also appeals to oldies like myself. Just beautiful!
May 7, 2021
This children's book tells the famous folk tale in verse. It's a quick easy read and beautifully retold. The pictures and formatting are a stunning addition to the pages.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews