You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. With authors and illustrators from all walks of life - diversity is the driving ethos within this publisher. What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? Owlet Press was founded by Samuel Langley-Swain in 2018, working with authors and illustrators with a shared passion – picture books which reflect the true diversity in children’s lives. The number of boys who loved that it was a Merman, and not a Mermaid was also telling, with large concepts around expected gendered behaviours beginning to be considered by some pupils as well.

I’d say that school librarians are one of the most important people in a school – their job is different to a teacher and their skills and expertise help children find books that are perfect for them. What I have loved the most about using this stunning book with children is their interpretations of the story, their interest and their curiosity. The theme of homosexuality is present, yet in no way forced - quite appropriately normalising same sex relationships. The other story fills me with such hope – when a class I had taught found out I was getting married to a man they all cheered and clapped and were so pleased for me.My Year 2 children love stories and they love writing their own books, I often make shape books for them, because they are more interesting than writing on a blank page. These tied closely to discussions around identity, health and wellbeing, as well as child-parent relationships. What do you make of the conversation about younger children not being aware of LGBTQ+ topics, or being “shielded” from them? A simple way for them to identify and relate to a range of emotions, using the book to engage in that learning. The next art lesson, we started with the story once again and the children were embellishing the paintings that they had made and turning them into collages.

This is a very difficult question as I’ve been a primary school teacher and haven’t worked in a school where there has been a proper school library run by a qualified and experienced school librarian. The other illustration which I love is the final one at the end of the story, where they are holding hands. I have been with my husband for nearly ten years now and when we started thinking about having children, I desperately wanted to make sure that our child saw their family in the books they read. What the meaning of a name is – do different names have similar meanings, where might that meaning have come from? As the two meet, they feel a special connection,much to the dismay of Nen’s father Pelagioswho creates a wild sea storm to protect hisson and the ocean.A poignant tale that acknowledges the sadness of losing a loved one but celebrates the pleasure of remembering those who have touched our lives. Practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships. The sequence of learning continues by exploring the text through a range of tasks which include reading skills, book talk, explicit grammar teaching in context, vocabulary building and shorter written outcomes. Please support our small business, so that we can continue to publish important books that celebrate diversity and allow more children to see themselves in great stories, helping create positive futures for all. When asking one class what they had noticed about the book that was different to many they had read one response was ‘well if they are gay then they might be falling in love.

Pupils have taken up the themes of climate emergency and plastic pollution, empathising with Pelagois as he warns Nen of the danger’s humans can pose for the creatures who live in our oceans. For myself it has been inspiring to have pupils identify the potential for a romantic relationship between the two. She was a primary school teacher too and always helped me and let me chat about my day and what had happened. This is a nice story about lots of things – friendship, love, hope and caring for our world and the people in it. The original lesson plan for this text is in the "No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome" resource (2020).com/ Lesson plan Y1 Text: Hair, It's a family affair by Mylo Freeman Lesson plan by Andrew Moffatwww. I asked the children to trace the line of their own profile, feeling the bumps and indentations, feeling down from their forehead to the bridge of their nose, tracing the shape of their lips and chin with their fingers, once they have felt their own profile, I drew Nen’s profile on the whiteboard. She is given the part of Ariel in a school play and wonders how she will ever play such a mischievous character when she feels so low and nervous. While providing music cover to a number of classes I have made use of Nen and the Lonely Fisherman to provide opportunities for pupils to work in groups to create soundscapes that reflected different scenes in the book, drawing on the emotions of the characters and the clues in James captivating illustrations. Some children used an acrostic style for their poems, using the letters of Ernest and Nen’s names to spell out their poem, others wrote a poem for Ernest above the waves and a poem for Nen beneath the waves.