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{"id":6816110379067,"title":"Shadow Mother","handle":"shadow-mother","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, a seal sheds its skin and comes ashore as a woman. When a man falls in love with her, he hides the skin to prevent her from returning to the sea. In Seán Virgo’s story, the master of a tall ship hides the shadow of his beloved, with moving consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile on a voyage far from home, his ship at anchor among islands and palm trees, a ship’s master sees a girl laughing in the sea. He is entranced and searches for her on his way home. A wise old woman tells him where to find her, and also tells him that he must hide her shadow. He is convinced that he loves the girl more than the sea itself, and takes her back to the river of his birth, where their son is born.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe boy grows up in a world of silence. His father is gloomy, and his mother, although loving, moves like a shadow in the house and walks alone by the sea, full of loss and longing.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn his tenth birthday the boy finds an old sea chest in the attic, where he returns whenever he feels sad and lonely. One day its rusty lock comes undone, and inside he discovers a strange white skin, with an underside that stings him. The boy becomes feverish, and in his delirium hears a voice telling him to take the skin down to the shore. Waves gradually take the skin and the boy into the water, and he swims out to the world where he belongs.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo was first inspired to write this story when researching a novel in the Solomon Islands, where the islanders believe in Kareimanua, a half man, half shark. He was also influenced by the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, the swan maiden of Germanic myth, and the European fascination with the South Seas, involving both romance and plunder.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo’s mysterious, haunting story is complemented by Javier Serrano’s extraordinary and stunningly beautiful illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2022-03-25T14:25:29-04:00","created_at":"2022-03-25T11:47:12-04:00","vendor":"Groundwood Books Ltd","type":"","tags":["age range 12 - 0","By (author) Virgo Seán","Groundwood Books","Illustrated by Serrano Pérez Javier","Middle Grade","Picture Books","pub date: 2014-06-01"],"price":2195,"price_min":2195,"price_max":2195,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":40213530083387,"title":"hardcover","option1":"hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780888999719","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Shadow Mother - hardcover","public_title":"hardcover","options":["hardcover"],"price":2195,"weight":245,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780888999719","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5d899dc1-9ad6-4519-96d0-2cd9f07a1c06.jpg?v=1649568927","\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_ae2f1e08-19e6-4a00-a8fd-9806fa5402ce.jpg?v=1648225878","\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5f1c4242-0697-464d-9be9-62ecaac8289b.jpg?v=1648225891","\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c079e29d-fea9-4eb1-9e64-d50fe7f65221.jpg?v=1648225904"],"featured_image":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5d899dc1-9ad6-4519-96d0-2cd9f07a1c06.jpg?v=1649568927","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":21924321820731,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.643,"height":630,"width":405,"src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5d899dc1-9ad6-4519-96d0-2cd9f07a1c06.jpg?v=1649568927"},"aspect_ratio":0.643,"height":630,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5d899dc1-9ad6-4519-96d0-2cd9f07a1c06.jpg?v=1649568927","width":405},{"alt":"This image is in shades of black and white. A large hand holds a male figure around its waist. The figure is wearing a suit, a cap, and has a long pole in one hand. The figure is being held underwater, just above the sand. Its feet and the pole are in the sand. A fish swims behind it. Text: and at last the master of his own tall ship, sailing the Seven Seas.","id":21816747851835,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"width":500,"src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_ae2f1e08-19e6-4a00-a8fd-9806fa5402ce.jpg?v=1648225878"},"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_ae2f1e08-19e6-4a00-a8fd-9806fa5402ce.jpg?v=1648225878","width":500},{"alt":"This image is in shades of black and white. The figure of a person walks between tall rocks. The moon is in the sky. Text: He came back that way, on his voyage home, and searched through all the islands, hoping to find her again. At last an old woman gathering shellfish from the rocks told him where he should look. She counted the string of beads that he offered her, their bright glass blue and green as the northern skies, and she laughed and drew his face down to hers, and whispered what he must do.","id":21816748736571,"position":3,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"width":500,"src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5f1c4242-0697-464d-9be9-62ecaac8289b.jpg?v=1648225891"},"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_5f1c4242-0697-464d-9be9-62ecaac8289b.jpg?v=1648225891","width":500},{"alt":"This image is in shades of black and white. A boy with light skin tone floats in the corner of a room. Fish swim around, some with human faces. He holds onto a rope in front of him. Text: But when he took hold of it he cried out in pain, for the underside of the skin was harsh as iron, and it stung him. Blood sprang from his middle finger, and when he put it to his mouth an icy chill ran through his body. The air seemed too hot to breathe, the floor seemed to tip away, the rafters went round and round.","id":21816749555771,"position":4,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"width":500,"src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c079e29d-fea9-4eb1-9e64-d50fe7f65221.jpg?v=1648225904"},"aspect_ratio":1.266,"height":395,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c079e29d-fea9-4eb1-9e64-d50fe7f65221.jpg?v=1648225904","width":500}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, a seal sheds its skin and comes ashore as a woman. When a man falls in love with her, he hides the skin to prevent her from returning to the sea. In Seán Virgo’s story, the master of a tall ship hides the shadow of his beloved, with moving consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile on a voyage far from home, his ship at anchor among islands and palm trees, a ship’s master sees a girl laughing in the sea. He is entranced and searches for her on his way home. A wise old woman tells him where to find her, and also tells him that he must hide her shadow. He is convinced that he loves the girl more than the sea itself, and takes her back to the river of his birth, where their son is born.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe boy grows up in a world of silence. His father is gloomy, and his mother, although loving, moves like a shadow in the house and walks alone by the sea, full of loss and longing.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn his tenth birthday the boy finds an old sea chest in the attic, where he returns whenever he feels sad and lonely. One day its rusty lock comes undone, and inside he discovers a strange white skin, with an underside that stings him. The boy becomes feverish, and in his delirium hears a voice telling him to take the skin down to the shore. Waves gradually take the skin and the boy into the water, and he swims out to the world where he belongs.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo was first inspired to write this story when researching a novel in the Solomon Islands, where the islanders believe in Kareimanua, a half man, half shark. He was also influenced by the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, the swan maiden of Germanic myth, and the European fascination with the South Seas, involving both romance and plunder.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo’s mysterious, haunting story is complemented by Javier Serrano’s extraordinary and stunningly beautiful illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e"}
{"AlsoRecommendedISBN_0":"9781773062099","AlsoRecommendedISBN_1":"9781773062242","AudienceRangePrecision_1_0":"03","AudienceRangePrecision_1_1":"03","AudienceRangeQualifier_0":"17","AudienceRangeQualifier_1":"11","AudienceRangeValue_1_0":"12","AudienceRangeValue_1_1":"6","BASICMainSubject":"JUV022000","BASICMainSubjectLiteral":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Legends, Myths, Fables \/ General","BiographicalNote":"Seán Virgo is a noted poet, short story writer and novelist, who has won many awards, including the CBC Competition (first prize for fiction), the BBC 3 Short Story Competition (first prize) and two National Magazine awards (for poetry and fiction). He lives in Eastend, Saskatchewan.","BISACSubjectLiteral_0":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Legends, Myths, Fables \/ General","BISACSubjectLiteral_1":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Family \/ Parents","BISACSubjectLiteral_2":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Fantasy \u0026amp; Magic","BISACSubject_0":"JUV022000","BISACSubject_1":"JUV013060","BISACSubject_2":"JUV037000","ContributorBio_0":"Seán Virgo is a noted poet, short story writer and novelist, who has won many awards, including the CBC Competition (first prize for fiction), the BBC 3 Short Story Competition (first prize) and two National Magazine awards (for poetry and fiction). He lives in Eastend, Saskatchewan.","ContributorBio_1":"Javier Serrano Pérez is a painter, a draftsman, the graphic designer and art director of one of Spain’s most prestigious children’s publishers (Anaya) and an illustrator. He was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition given to an author or illustrator of children’s books. He lives in Madrid.","ContributorRole_0":"By (author)","ContributorRole_1":"Illustrated by","Contributor_0":"Virgo, Seán (CA)","Contributor_1":"Serrano Pérez, Javier","Description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, a seal sheds its skin and comes ashore as a woman. When a man falls in love with her, he hides the skin to prevent her from returning to the sea. In Seán Virgo’s story, the master of a tall ship hides the shadow of his beloved, with moving consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile on a voyage far from home, his ship at anchor among islands and palm trees, a ship’s master sees a girl laughing in the sea. He is entranced and searches for her on his way home. A wise old woman tells him where to find her, and also tells him that he must hide her shadow. He is convinced that he loves the girl more than the sea itself, and takes her back to the river of his birth, where their son is born.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe boy grows up in a world of silence. His father is gloomy, and his mother, although loving, moves like a shadow in the house and walks alone by the sea, full of loss and longing.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn his tenth birthday the boy finds an old sea chest in the attic, where he returns whenever he feels sad and lonely. One day its rusty lock comes undone, and inside he discovers a strange white skin, with an underside that stings him. The boy becomes feverish, and in his delirium hears a voice telling him to take the skin down to the shore. Waves gradually take the skin and the boy into the water, and he swims out to the world where he belongs.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo was first inspired to write this story when researching a novel in the Solomon Islands, where the islanders believe in Kareimanua, a half man, half shark. He was also influenced by the Selkie legends of Scotland and Ireland, the swan maiden of Germanic myth, and the European fascination with the South Seas, involving both romance and plunder.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSeán Virgo’s mysterious, haunting story is complemented by Javier Serrano’s extraordinary and stunningly beautiful illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e","EAN":"9780888999719","Height":"5.375","HeightCode":"in","Imprint":"Groundwood Books","MetaKeywords":"Family; Parents; Science Fiction; Fantasy; Magic; Legends; Myths; Fables; Other; Northern Europe; Selkie; Mythology; Mermaid","NumberOfPages":"64","OtherText_Review_0":"Virgo’s magnetic words are rendered into hypnotic landscapes by Hans Christian Andersen Award finalist Javier Serrano Pérez, in which humans, fish, and other fantastic beings overlap and coalesce without boundaries. The effect is exquisite, both tragic and hopeful, with promise of brand new beginnings.","OtherText_Review_0_Src":"Book Dragon","OtherText_Review_1":"A dreamy, mystical quality suffuses this brief, wispily written tale, inspired by an unusual variation on the legend of the selkie.","OtherText_Review_1_Src":"School Library Journal","OtherText_ShortDescription_0":"A beautifully reinvented tale, in the tradition of Scottish and Irish Selkie legends, from award-winning creators Seán Virgo and Javier Serrano Pérez.","PrizeCodeText_0":"Commended","PrizeCode_0":"03","PrizeName_0":"Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens","PrizeYear_0":"2014","ProductFormDescription":"hardcover","PublicationDate":"2014-06-01","Publisher":"Groundwood Books Ltd","ShortDescription":"A beautifully reinvented tale, in the tradition of Scottish and Irish Selkie legends, from award-winning creators Seán Virgo and Javier Serrano Pérez.","Width":"8.5","WidthCode":"in"}
ages 12
and up
/ grades 6
and up