Two Selkie Stories from Scotland (retold by Kate Forsyth, illus by Fiona McDonald, Christmas Press)

Christmas Press was born in 2013 from a desire to keep alive the tradition of sharing stories from around the world in beautiful book form. It’s a timely wish, with fairytale retellings being one of the leading genres in YA now. In Christmas Press’ second publication, writer Kate Forsyth shares two ‘selkie’ stories—haunting tales of the seal creatures popular in Scottish mythology. Forsyth is a heavyweight in the fairytale scene, most recently with her magnificent reimaginings of ‘Rapunzel’ and stories from the Brothers Grimm. In her retellings here, she is faithful to the style of the original folktales and doesn’t shy away from their darkness, or tend towards oversimplification. The first story, ‘The Selkie Bride’, is the sadder of the two and tells of an unwilling selkie bride who is trapped for her beauty. The second, ‘In the Kingdom of the Seals’, is more uplifting, about a seal hunter who is shown the error of his ways. These beautiful, whimsical picture books won’t be for everyone. However, the tales, told by an author with an obvious talent for folklore, would make an excellent choice for young readers looking for a unique alternative to standard titles, and would be a beautiful introduction to the rich world of folktales.

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne-based writer and reviewer

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews