Setsuko and the Song of the Sea
by Fiona Barker and Howard Gray
ISBN: 9781910265949
Selected for the Reading Agency Summer Reading Challenge 2021.
Setsuko loves the sea. She swims its shallows. She dives its depths.
But she worries that her friends have chosen to abandon her way of life. Then she meets a whale who also fears he is the last of his kind. In return for giving him hope, he gifts her a song which she uses to remind people of the beauty of the ocean.
Setsuko loves the sea. She swims its shallows. She dives its depths.
But she worries that her friends have chosen to abandon her way of life. Then she meets a whale who also fears he is the last of his kind. In return for giving him hope, he gifts her a song which she uses to remind people of the beauty of the ocean.
The Song of the Sea is a story of friendship and hope in an uncertain world. From the creators of Danny and the Dream Dog.
Fiona Barker wrote The Song of the Sea for marine biologist and illustrator, Howard Gray, so he could paint a whale and utilise his awesome skills creating underwater scenes. At the time, she also undertook the Marine Conservation Society’s challenge to go plastic free in July 2017, which turned out to be the start of a life-changing journey. Fiona wanted to pair the whale in the story with an inspirational human character and she could think of none more so than the ama-san. Revered as ‘mothers of the sea’, these strong women have been diving without breathing equipment in the cold waters off the Shima Penninsula for over 2000 years.
Setsuko, a young girl training to become one of these real-life mermaids, was born.
Japanese text provided by Hideaki Matsuya 松矢英晶
About The Author
Fiona Barker is positively potty about picture books. An author and founder of the hugely successful Picture Book Club in Windsor – a regular event that connects authors, illustrators, and their audiences – Fiona is constantly working on new ideas. Having self-published her first book `Amelie and the Great Outdoors’ (2016), Fiona has since written `Danny and the Dream Dog’ (Tiny Tree, 2018) and ‘Setsuko and the Song of the Sea’ (2021).
About the Illustrator
Howard Gray has been producing artwork for as long as he can remember, but his journey to becoming a children’s illustrator has been a convoluted one. Although Howard has a background in zoology, and a PhD on the genetics of dolphins in the Arabian Sea, becoming a professional artist has long been a passion of his.
These days he’s pursuing a career as a children’s illustrator and has worked on a selection of exciting fiction and non-fiction children’s books. Howard lives with his family in the picturesque city of Durham.
