By Kaylie Seed
Briana Corr Scott’s adorable children’s book The Book of Selkie tells the folk tale of the seal people called the selkie, who are said to live in various parts of Ireland, Scotland, Great Britain, Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. The selkie are a type of faerie said to be very helpful and private, who can go between land (as humans) and the sea (as seals). Scott has written a short, lyrical children’s story that highlights different things that the selkie are said to do. With an easy-to-follow rhyming scheme, children aged four to seven will find this story easy to follow along at bedtime and will learn about an interesting folk tale that isn’t focused on often.
Scott illustrated The Book of Selkie as well, using oil paintings that are soft and airy, the perfect complement to the whimsical prose found throughout this book. At the end of the story, Scott includes some history on the selkie which will only want the reader to learn more about these secretive mythical beings. The Book of Selkie also has some fantastic paper dolls that Scott designed, which add to the whimsy this book brings to readers. This short children’s book holds a lot of interesting tidbits that many adults probably didn’t know, and they will find The Book of Selkie is a lovely tale to get lost in even for a little while.
Thank you, Nimbus Publishing for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!