Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

Absolutely beautifully illustrated, very visually appealing book.
The depth and of the story (fisherman in peril) really captivated my boys (6 and 8) and sets this apart from lots of other books. I love the slight grittiness to the story, in this respect it draws more similarities to traditional fairy tales.
I love the diversity within the story, my 8 year old understood without prompt that the two male characters had fallen in love. My 6 year old thought they were just friends which led to discussion. The book is a lovely twist on more traditional tales with the children finding similarities with the little mermaid.
The story flows beautifully and is fun to read. The language is lovely and overall we all enjoyed the book.
I’m looking forward to sharing this story at school.

Absolutely love this LGBTQIA+ inclusive book. One of my favourite books and the happy feels it brings sometimes leaves tears in my eyes. We need more books like this, ones which show love between loving people, ones which reflect a true cross section of our diverse society.

As well as the obvious love of its inclusivity, the wording and illustrations in this book are truly stunning. We love the way it flows, colours and beautiful imagery pull you in. It truly is beautiful in so many ways.

If you don't have this book, please get it, your little ones will love it ❤️

Such a stunning book! We have read this book so many times and my little boy just loves it! I love how the text changes direction - it instantly draws the attention to the storyline. My little boy absolutely loves it. The animations as part of the story pose so many questions and my little one even made a song up regarding the sea creatures that bounced amongst the page.

As a teacher I’ve loved seeing my little one’s reaction. I’ve been searching for books that celebrate diversity and this book is so well written and just beautiful! This book is a must have for any book shelf!! This is a book that will grow as my child becomes older. Wonderful!!

Our daughter is one and she loves stories at bedtime. Nen and the Lonely Fisherman is so beautifully illustrated that my daughter just sat, looked and listened.

This book is a beautiful introduction to LGBTQ+ relationships without feeling forced. It feels, and reads, like a beautiful fairytale story about a merman and his true love, Ernest and it's lovely to start having conversations with our little one, even when she's still so small.

When we get this story down from the shelf she claps and reaches her hands out to hold the book, and that's always a good sign for me!

As a teacher who is passionate about celebrating diversity and ensuring fair representation within our school - I spend a lot of time reading and ordering books to have in our classrooms and share with our children. It is safe to say that this book is definitely now on my order list for the KS1 and lower KS2 children in school.

Whilst the book is first and foremost a story about an LGBTQ+ relationship - the underlying themes of love against all odds, loneliness and depression, the meaning of happiness, breaking gender stereotypes and accepting differences provides endless discussion points. Add to that the clear message about plastic pollution and the impact humans are having on the oceans and you are on to a winner.

I read the book with my 6 year old boy and 2 1/2 year old girl. My boy loved the happy ending and discussing what he thought might have happened next for Nen and Ernest (mainly how their wedding would have to be half in the sea haha) and my little girl loved the metallic details on the front cover, the ‘sideways’ pages and spotting things in the beautiful illustrations. They both loved spotting the colourful rainbow sky throughout the book.