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Review
"Those captivated by other selkie tales will find a full measure of magic and mystery here."--Kirkus Reviews
"The author's voice is straightforward and gripping; her images are as strong as the stones on which the fishermen hone their knives and as lyrical as the ebb and flow of the tides."--The Horn Book Magazine
"The author's voice is straightforward and gripping; her images are as strong as the stones on which the fishermen hone their knives and as lyrical as the ebb and flow of the tides."--The Horn Book Magazine
Book Description
A Carnegie-nominated timeless story from the award-winning author Berlie Doherty, republished by popular demand with new illustrations.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Based on legends from iceland and the North, this is a story of a childless couple who one day find a baby girl abandoned in the sea, bring her up as their own, but have to face the consequences as she grows up and her people want her back. Interwoven with selkie tales as the girl discovers who she really is, the book can't have a happy ending. An OK read, easy and quick, but not outstanding.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A great Selkie tale
15 Feb 2002
Format:Hardcover
A great fable based upon many of the Selkie legends from different lands. A childless couple raise as their own a baby girl the husband found one night floating in the sea during a storm. Munroe suspects right away that this child is one of the Selkies (seal-people) but keeps the secret from his wife Jannet. But when a mysterious stranger returns years later asking for the return of his child, the desperate woman tries to hide the child - and brings upon her village the anger of the sea and the seal people. Finally their daughter must chose for herself whether to return to the sea, or stay with the people she has grown to love as her parents. A great addition to lovers of tales of the Selkie.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
On the bottom of the beautiful briny sea
1 Jan 2005
Format:Hardcover
The origin of the legend of the selkie is an oddity to me. What was it about the seals of the British Isles that struck islanders as mysterious and mildly frightening? I can understand why they were sometimes mistaken for humans and mermaids. In the water a seal is as lithe and graceful as it is bulky and sluggish on land. Still, there have been a fair amount of selkie tales that place the mysterious creatures firmly into the realm of the creepy. From Mollie Hunter's dark, "A Stranger Came Ashore" to Eve Ibbotson's light-hearted but sometimes dour, "Island of the Aunts", these wondrous creatures have inspired a great number of children's authors to weave together tales of the selkies of the deep. With "Daughter of the Sea", author Berlie Doherty strives to do the same.
Jannet and Munroe were not meant to find the sleeping babe floating between the rocks of the skerries. But find the child they did, and in their childless state the dearest wish of their hearts has come true. They've been given a daughter of their own to raise and love. Watching enviously from her beachside home, indigent Eilean o da Freya watches the gift that should have been hers as the child grows and learns. Eilean understands exactly what little Gioga (as her parents have named her) is and she will use this knowledge carefully in the future. Meanwhile, mysterious creatures from the deep are preparing to take the girl back with them. If Jannet and Munroe resist, they may find themselves in a deeper muddle than they ever could have imagined.
Doherty has penned a rather classic tale. "Daughter of the Sea" follows in the tradition of all those classic fairy tales about children that don't quite belong. The old standby of the barren couple who want to raise a kid of their own is in everything from ancient Norse myths to classic Brothers Grimm tales. In this particular case, "Daughter of the Sea" is mightily similar to Eloise McGraw's, "The Moorchild". In both books you have young daughters that are a little different from everyone else and feel drawn to mysterious beings they want to understand. In the case of this book, Gioga is a little different from your average heroine. She's so drawn to the sea that she can barely pay attention to the people who love her. You're not certain how or who to root for in this tale, but it's fairly clear that the moral of the story is that you shouldn't prevent your children from being who they are rather than who you want them to be.
Unfortunately, "Daughter of the Sea" isn't particularly original. It's definitely written well enough, don't get me wrong. And it also makes for a relatively quick read for kids. But the story doesn't break any new ground. The magic found here could just as easily be found in any classic selkie folktale. Even the conclusion is matter-of-fact and predictable. "Daughter of the Sea" is a nice kind of Intro-to-adapted-folktales. Yet if you're looking for something gripping, original, and a lot of fun then this would not be my first recommendation. Select any of the other books I've mentioned if you like. Read "Daughter of the Sea" only if you're interested in the cannon of complete selkie children's fiction.
Jannet and Munroe were not meant to find the sleeping babe floating between the rocks of the skerries. But find the child they did, and in their childless state the dearest wish of their hearts has come true. They've been given a daughter of their own to raise and love. Watching enviously from her beachside home, indigent Eilean o da Freya watches the gift that should have been hers as the child grows and learns. Eilean understands exactly what little Gioga (as her parents have named her) is and she will use this knowledge carefully in the future. Meanwhile, mysterious creatures from the deep are preparing to take the girl back with them. If Jannet and Munroe resist, they may find themselves in a deeper muddle than they ever could have imagined.
Doherty has penned a rather classic tale. "Daughter of the Sea" follows in the tradition of all those classic fairy tales about children that don't quite belong. The old standby of the barren couple who want to raise a kid of their own is in everything from ancient Norse myths to classic Brothers Grimm tales. In this particular case, "Daughter of the Sea" is mightily similar to Eloise McGraw's, "The Moorchild". In both books you have young daughters that are a little different from everyone else and feel drawn to mysterious beings they want to understand. In the case of this book, Gioga is a little different from your average heroine. She's so drawn to the sea that she can barely pay attention to the people who love her. You're not certain how or who to root for in this tale, but it's fairly clear that the moral of the story is that you shouldn't prevent your children from being who they are rather than who you want them to be.
Unfortunately, "Daughter of the Sea" isn't particularly original. It's definitely written well enough, don't get me wrong. And it also makes for a relatively quick read for kids. But the story doesn't break any new ground. The magic found here could just as easily be found in any classic selkie folktale. Even the conclusion is matter-of-fact and predictable. "Daughter of the Sea" is a nice kind of Intro-to-adapted-folktales. Yet if you're looking for something gripping, original, and a lot of fun then this would not be my first recommendation. Select any of the other books I've mentioned if you like. Read "Daughter of the Sea" only if you're interested in the cannon of complete selkie children's fiction.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Full of imagery
1 Jun 1999
Format:Hardcover
The first time I read this book, it was in the National Library. It seemed to be calling to me from the shelves. And, it certainly was magical, all that I could have asked for and more. It's so haunting and full of beauty, it draws you into the story, yet somehow the characters seem so far away and untouchable, like they're in their own world. When the story, finally ended, I was like, oh! Gone! Just like that. It slips away even before you can reach out and grab it, and then you're left wondering what happened.
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