Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

Product Information

There are two very special illustrations in the book. One is of Nen and Ernest staring lovingly into each other’s eyes after a terrible storm. We felt this special moment really deserved a close-up of their faces to capture the love between them. I wrote so many stories about mermaids as a child. And often got in trouble for not writing about anything else! Oh so many! As a kid who was growing up confused about his identify and sexuality, I so wish I had had access to diverse and inclusive stories. I love Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love – it’s a gorgeous, defiant story which tells us that we are all special and deserve to be loved. This is a fantastic new picture book that, at its heart, is a love story between a merman called Nen and a lonely fisherman called Ernest. The story is very sweet and will show children who read it that 'love is love' and all love is special and should be celebrated. Nen's father is at first disapproving but there is a lovely positive ending to the story. Far out to sea and deep below the whispering waves lives a merman called Nen. 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 lyrical, beautiful celebration of love, acceptance and faith, with a gentle message about how we treat our oceans, and each other.

Far out to sea and deep below the whispering waves lives a merman called Nen. 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 lyrical, beautiful celebration of love, acceptance and faith, with a gentle message about how we treat our oceans, and each other. A Book of Bravery and HopeI 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.

There’s a mixture of full spread images both vertically and horizontally as well as storyboard format too. I’m particularly enjoying the font in this book too. Lonely hearts advert character description, thought bubbles, diary entries, message in a bottle setting description Main Outcome:

What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? How did you navigate these challenges?