Nurture a love of nature and language.

I.D.E.A (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access).  It was important that the illustrated child have no discernible gender, age, race, or ethnicity. This allows all of our readers to see themselves in the story.  One of the great delights of introducing the book to children has been to see the variety of little ones who’ve pointed at the pages and said “that could be me!”. 

We used a dyslexic-friendly font. The palette and illustrations were carefully designed to not be over-stimulating.

Leading with Curiosity I did not intend to write an anti-anxiety book. But, in hindsight, that’s exactly what I did.  It stands to reason as it was written almost entirely  in my happy place – my kayak!  It’s impossible to be anxious and curious at the same time.  By emphasizing a message of leading with curiosity, the book creates a calm and thoughtful mindset.  As the poem ends where it begins, there is a satisfying synergy to the story.   

Environmental Empathy The seal in this book is not anthropomorphized.  It has no name or gender; it does not wear  human clothing or conduct human activities.  Instead, the book presents a gentle message of care-taking of our environment, living in the moment, and approaching the world with empathy.  Every scene in this book is taken from real-life observations of the behaviours of seals in Semiahmoo Bay, British Columbia.    

Nurturing a love of Language I wanted to respect my young readers by using exactly the right word – even if it was above their expected reading level.  It’s been fantastic to see a 10-year old sound out the word ‘scuttle’ until they got it and to also see an 8-year old sail through the word kaleidoscope with no trouble. I know 2-year-olds who ask for “Sea Saw”.  And I know adults who appreciate the alliteration, lyricism, and other poetic devices in this book.   (Bubbles and barnacles!) 

Nurturing a love of Nature My friend and Illustrator, Carla Maskall, and I are so grateful to live in the Pacific Northwest near the ocean.  We made a conscious decision to lovingly and faithfully depict this beautiful ecology.  Many of the illustrations in the book started as pictures I took from my kayak.  Our hope is that by exploring our own backyard with curiosity, we would foster a love of nature wherever our readers are.    

Thanks for supporting independent authors! For the love of reading,   

Sherry McMillan