Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

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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. Helps you understand yourself and others. It helps you to peek into other people’s lives and empathise with them. It helps you understand that, despite our differences, we have much in common. There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root. Coverage: Word List Words

Every so often a book comes along that makes you go – wow. Nen and the Lonely Fisherman is one of these books. If you haven’t already discovered the independent publisher Owlet Press they are certainly one to watch, some truly incredible books already published and more to come. The best pieces of advice I’ve always been given are from my Mum .She was a primary school teacher too and always helped me and let me chat about my day and what had happened. A lovely, gentle story of friendship and love between a merman, Nen, and Ernest, the fisherman of the title, with a conservationist theme rippling throughout. Mayhew's light-dappled, tender illustrations are the perfect foil for Eagleton's quiet, well chosen words.” - The Guardian I wrote so many stories about mermaids as a child and often got in trouble for not writing about anything else. I feel that children at every age have a right to see same-sex couples represented in their books in an age-appropriate, positive and celebratory way. So, I wrote this story for the children who never see themselves in fairy tales and for the LGBT+ teenagers, who like me, continue to grow up feeling excluded from the literary space. Lonely hearts advert character description, thought bubbles, diary entries, message in a bottle setting description Main Outcome:

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My next project is a Shakespeare-themed picture book called Violet’s Tempest. It’s a story about a girl who has lost her giggle and sense of happiness. 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. Bookshops, libraries and the local farm shop are the highlight of our week, well alongside reading copious amounts of books snuggled together wherever we go. TRAILBLAZER – Nen and the Lonely Fisherman Portraying a relationship between two men (well, a merman and another man!) felt defiant and brave, but my hope is that one day it will just be viewed for what it is – perfectly normal. Winner of the inaugural Polari Children’s and YA Prize 2022, praised for being “important and radical”. I hope you find so much joy, wonder and magic in our little book. That it helps you to imagine and dream and know that everyone deserves a happily ever after.

Five weeks into our school year and this is a book I see read by pupils in the class every week in our reading area, with them pouring over the illustrations and loving turning the book round to dive deep beneath the waves to the ocean’s depths. A heartfelt story of a Merman and a Fisherman both missing something special in their lives. It is Nen’s sad soulful song that leads him to Ernest a kind caring fisherman who is a rescuer, a collector, a dreamer and creator. Today we welcome Clare Campbell, the headteacher at St Charles RC Primary School, to talk about how she has been using NEN AND THE LONELY FISHERMAN in her school!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. 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. This picture book paints a beautiful story about love, acceptance and hope. Lyrical language and vivid imagery reflect subtle messages about the state of the world’s oceans and the human impact on the environment, creating links to the science and geography curriculums. An important book for LGBTQIA+ representation, the story also lends itself to discussions around relationships and family. Links and themes: 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. A sense of shame and anxiety should never cloud the way we speak to children – they deserve to hear about our world and the many ways in which we love and live. I’d also recommend getting in touch with A New Chapter, which is a new online bookshop. They are able to curate sets of books for you relating to the themes you are exploring with your class and are very reasonable.

There’s a mixture of full spread images both vertically and horizontally as well as storyboard format too. I’m particularly enjoying the font in this book too. The collaboration between Ian Eagleton and James Mayhew in Nen and the Lonely Fisherman is the perfect blend of magic. On the surface this is a delightful, hope filled twist on the classic story ‘The Little Mermaid’ yet it’s so much more that that. To truly begin to understand the gravity, strength and bravery of this book I’d very much recommend reading this blog post from illustrator James Mayhew and this post from author Ian Eagleton. Synopsis This is a three-session spelling seed for the book Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton. Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014.

What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? How did you navigate these challenges? This might make Nen sound like a book that preaches to its audience but Eagleton's prose succeeds in saying these things without ever resorting to moralistic posturing. The messages are there in the story but evolve alongside it - they are as much part of the action as everything else that is happening. The book is all the more powerful because of this - we don't need the author to tell us that Nen's and Ernest's love should be allowed because we see it for ourselves and wonder at those who are trying to make it stop. While Nen loves exploring ‘ the ancient, wild depths‘ and beyond his ocean home, somehow he feels ’empty’. Thereafter he sings a sad song, that the ‘twinkling stars’ whisper across the oceans, though it seems smothered by the clouds. His explorations take him closer to the shore, where he watches Ernest, a fisherman. Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning. Like the oceans, this picture book has hidden depths. It is a story about companionship and love - a love that, for many, is forbidden. It is a quiet lament about the how humankind is disregarding the seas. It is a wistful evocation of how life could be if we loved and accepted everyone for who they are instead of through our own misconceptions and judgements. It's a balm for loneliness.