Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

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I wrote so many stories about mermaids as a child. And often got in trouble for not writing about anything else! What do you make of the conversation about younger children not being aware of LGBTQ+ topics, or being “shielded” from them?

I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! There are bits of myself into all the characters. I very rarely listen to advice or suggestions – much like Nen constantly ignoring his father! I’m also relatively quiet and shy too, being lonely and on my own for a long time, like Ernest. I also love creating and making things like him too. Nen is a Merman, who spends his days exploring the ocean and all the treasures beneath the waves. He is happy but also missing something important from his life - companionship. That is until he meets Ernest, a fisherman who devotes his life to 'rescuing, freeing, collecting, dreaming ... and creating!'. The match feels pre-destined: both Nen and Ernest are kind and caring but lonely, looking for their soulmate. I LOVED mermaids and sunken cities as a child – there’s something magical and mysterious about them. We went swimming every weekend and I would always pretend to have a mermaid tail as I swam around! What are some of the challenges associated with writing about a queer love story for a younger audience? How did you navigate these challenges?The other story fills me with such hope – when a class I had taught found out I was getting married to a man they all cheered and clapped and were so pleased for me. A sense of shame and anxiety should never cloud the way we speak to children – they deserve to hear about our world and the many ways in which we love and live. Thanks so much for your lovely message and for everything that you do with Book Wagon. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do.

Helps you understand yourself and others. It helps you to peek into other people’s lives and empathise with them. It helps you understand that, despite our differences, we have much in common. Children at every age have a right to see same-sex couples represented in their books in an age-appropriate, positive and celebratory way. Both imagery and text intertwine effortlessly to tell the tale of Nen and Ernest. The illustrator’s brush strokes in the paint bringing to life the author’s words – Nen fought through the churning, lashing tempest. My next project is a Shakespeare-themed picture book called Violet’s Tempest. It’s a story about a girl who has lost her giggle and sense of happiness. She is given the part of Ariel in a school play and wonders how she will ever play such a mischievous character when she feels so low and nervous. The very lovely Ian, author of Nen and the Lonely Fisherman, kindly answered a few questions I’d got for him. Which three books do you wish your younger self could have read?

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As always, we love to have a few props to bring stories even more to life. There are lots of creative activities you could enjoy to go alongside this story too: Winner of the inaugural Polari Children’s and YA Prize 2022, praised for being “important and radical”.