Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

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A sweet queer retelling of The Little Mermaid. The illustrations were wonderful. You'll want this book to be part of your world. Oh, so many! It’s probably best to ask what’s my favourite book right now, as it changes all the time. I love reading crime thrillers – a passion I think I’ve got from my mum. In terms of children’s picture books I love Dapo Adeola, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, David Litchfield and the Fan Brothers. I’m a huge fan of Jessica Love and ‘Julian is a Mermaid’, which made me gasp! I also love Abi Elphinstone, Ross Montgomery, Louis Stowell, Sophie Anderson, so I try and read a children’s book every week! A beautiful tale of longing, love and the importance of protecting the oceans ... a standout picture book.” - Matthew Todd, Former Editor, Attitude Magazine This three-week Writing Root begins with a treasure chest of mysterious objects which children explore and discuss to support them in making predictions about the story. 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. Children will make predictions and explore the themes of the text, before developing their understanding of the characters to support them to write a character description in the form of a lonely-hearts advert. They will infer characters’ thoughts and feelings through freeze-framing, thought bubbles and diary entries. Children will also develop their literary bank by exploring how to use language to change atmosphere and create deeper imagery through the use of different descriptive literary techniques. Finally, they will finish by writing their own version of Nen and the Lonely Fisherman, with twists to the original plot and characters and making comparisons to the traditional tale The Little Mermaid. Synopsis of Text: When Julian spots three women in lavish mermaid costumes, it fires his imagination and all he can think about is becoming a mermaid himself – with a little help from his nana’s soft furnishings.

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 modern adaptation of a classic ‘little mermaid’ tale, Nen and the Lonely Fisherman tells the story of a merman’s search for true love, sending a song of hope across the sea while a lonely, caring young fisherman named Ernest hopes to find warmth in his heart. As the two meet, they feel a special connection, much to the dismay of Nen’s father Pelagios who creates a wild sea storm to protect his son and the ocean. Can Nen save Ernest? 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. 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. An adventurous merman and kind fisherman find love and each other in this gorgeous update to the Little Mermaid story. While on supply I was also able to link it to other expressive arts, using drama techniques and roleplay to delve deeper in to the characters through hot-seating and using freeze frames to discuss aspects of the story. These tied closely to discussions around identity, health and wellbeing, as well as child-parent relationships.

The theme of homosexuality is present, yet in no way forced - quite appropriately normalising same sex relationships. 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