Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

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Places in the world where names originated from – get a world map and plot where the names originate from. There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root. Coverage: Word List Words

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. It’s a truly beautiful read, full of tenderness and emotion, a wonderful love story" @mrs_w_loves_reading It's so important that little ones grow up and see their type of family set-up reflected in the books you share with them. Here's a list of our favourite children's books that show – and celebrate – diverse families.Perfect for babies all the way up to aged five. We’ve also had the most moving, beautiful message from adults saying how it has allowed the children in their life to open up and talk about different types of relationship. We definitely feel a deep sense of responsibility towards our readers and are so thrilled the book has been so warmly received.

Nen is a Merman, who spends his days exploring the ocean and all the treasures beneath the waves. He is happy but also missing something important from his life - companionship. That is until he meets Ernest, a fisherman who devotes his life to 'rescuing, freeing, collecting, dreaming ... and creating!'. The match feels pre-destined: both Nen and Ernest are kind and caring but lonely, looking for their soulmate. 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. Children at every age have a right to see same-sex couples represented in their books in an age-appropriate, positive and celebratory way.

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. Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton (author) and James Mayhew (illustrator) is a classic ‘little mermaid’ tale focussing on a beautiful and blossoming LGBTQ+ relationship. Nen is a merman in search of true love, he sends a song of hope across the sea where it is heard by Ernest. Ernest is a gentle and caring fisherman who hopes to find warmth in his heart, and when the two meat they form a special connection. However, Nen’s father Pelagios isn’t happy with this special friendship and creates a wild storm at sea to protect his son and his ocean home. Will Nen be able to save Ernest from his father’s dismay? What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? How did you navigate these challenges?

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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. 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. 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. Whether you explore the names in your family or you are a teacher and explore the names in your class you can look at lots of things that may spark discussion: 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!

Nen spends his days exploring his underwater kingdom, but something is missing: his heart is empty. So, Nen ventures to the forbidden world above and it is here that he meets Ernest, a lonely fisherman. But can two people from different worlds be together and what will happen when a terrifying storm gathers?A sweet queer retelling of The Little Mermaid. The illustrations were wonderful. You'll want this book to be part of your world. Winner of the inaugural Polari Children’s and YA Prize 2022, praised for being “important and radical”.