Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

Product Information

One lovely way to explore identity with this book would be through the origin of names. Nen is a name of Egyptian origin that means ancient waters. Nen’s father is Pelagios of Greek origin meaning from the sea and Ernest is of German origin meaning serious and warrior. Names chosen with meaning and purpose by the author. 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 Lonely hearts advert character description, thought bubbles, diary entries, message in a bottle setting description Main Outcome: As an experienced primary school teacher, Ian Eagleton is arguably suitably placed to guide young people through new concepts. His book, Nen and the Lonely Fisherman is just that – a new way of looking at a love story. When merman Nen comes across a lonely fisherman by the name of Ernest, the two begin a courtship that will see them having to overcome barriers to be together. Eagleton’s words are coupled with the beautiful illustrations of James Mayhew, which broaden the traditional love story mould, and introduce the book’s younger audience to same-sex relationships. This is a story for the children who never saw themselves in fairy tales and for the LGBT+ teenagers, who like me, grew up feeling excluded from the literary space.

James Mayhew, the illustrator, felt that we would have no concerns or worries about showing a prince and a mermaid holding hands. Why should we shy away from depicting a loving relationship full of hope and wonder? 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. For us, we were very aware that we wanted to show Nen and Ernest’s relationship in a tender, loving way but were nervous about depicting things like them holding hands. Our main concern was really how adults would react to this – all the children who have read our book have adored seeing a happy ending between two men. 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. There are bits of myself into all the characters. I very rarely listen to advice or suggestions – much like Nen constantly ignoring his father! I’m also relatively quiet and shy too, being lonely and on my own for a long time, like Ernest. I also love creating and making things like him too.What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? How did you navigate these challenges? Thanks so much Ian for taking the time to answer my questions. I love the book recommendations and ideas for developing libraries. I’m also in agreement, life as a dolphin does seem fun filled. Exploring Identity Through Names Merman Nen loves to explore the mysterious depths of the ocean, but his heart feels empty. Each night, he sings to the sea and his words of hope are carried across the waves by the twinkling stars.

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. Firstly, and most importantly, joy and wonder and that cosiness when you cuddle up with an adult and share a book is magic. I hope children will love seeing Nen and Ernest’s relationship grow and develop. That it might make some subtle suggestions about how we can look after our oceans and each other. The best thing is when children create artwork and their own stories inspired by your book. I’m looking forward to reading children’s own modern fairy tales and seeing all their mermaid artwork! 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 Places in the world where names originated from – get a world map and plot where the names originate from.

Table of Contents

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. I wrote so many stories about mermaids as a child. And often got in trouble for not writing about anything else!

A beautiful tale of longing, love and the importance of protecting the oceans ... a standout picture book.” - Matthew Todd, Former Editor, Attitude Magazine I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to share this thought-provoking and magical book with a number of classes across a range of primary year groups recently. It is remarkably versatile and offers options to engage and link to many curriculum areas, as well as provide the opening for rich discussions on a range of topics. 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. 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. SynopsisWhat the meaning of a name is – do different names have similar meanings, where might that meaning have come from? Mommy it’s like we’re diving into the sea and we’re swimming deeper and deeper into the ocean where it gets darker and more mysterious. Floss – 4 years old Children at every age have a right to see same-sex couples represented in their books in an age-appropriate, positive and celebratory way. As always, we love to have a few props to bring stories even more to life. There are lots of creative activities you could enjoy to go alongside this story too: This isn’t just a book with one story. There’s historical stories and a wish for a different story, a future of hope, all rolled into one. In James’ blog post he talks about the suggestion from some that Nen and the Lonely Fisherman should come with an advisory label for LGBTQ+ content.

Thereafter, where might their secretive laughter, talking and dreaming lead? Is it possible that Nan’s father’s rage at his son might damage everything that Nen and the Lonely Fisherman are building? His power is infinite, it seems… Or might it be that Ernest, is somehow different and Nen will do anything to rescue his fisherman? 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.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! There’s nothing explicit in the book. Spoiler alert – Nen and Ernest hold hands! Should we have a content warning each time a prince wields true love’s kiss on an unconsenting sleeping beauty! I think this would make for an interesting discussion point when exploring the text. Dreamily Co-created