The Fog Catcher's Daughter
Age 4+
Picture Storybooks
A brave young girl rows out to meet her destiny in a lavishly illustrated original tale steeped in fairy lore, from a traditional Irish storyteller.
A daughter embarks on a perilous journey to rescue her father in this beautiful, eerie, and timeless original folktale. Eily and her father live in Ireland, three fields from the sea, within sight of the enchanted isle of Lisnashee. The fairy folk who live there cause mischief and harm to any who trespass, but once a year at Midsummer, Eily’s father, the Fog Catcher, rows out to collect magic from the fog around the island. His sole protection is a charm tucked in his pocket, and when Eily finds the lost charm in a hedgerow after he departs, she knows at once what she must do. Haunting watercolour paintings evoke the beauty of the Irish coastline in an imaginative coming-of-age tale about honouring the past and taking courage with an open heart.
Creators
Marianne McShane, a seanchaí, or traditional Irish storyteller, is the author of Rónán and the Mermaid, illustrated by Jordi Solano. She grew up on the east coast of Ireland and especially loves to tell folk tales and fairytales from her native land. She lives in Ireland. Find her online at http://www.mariannemcshane.com/
Alan Marks began his career illustrating for magazines and newspapers. His first children's book Storm, written by Kevin Crossley Holland, won the Carnegie Medal. Alan now illustrates a wide variety of subjects, from nursery rhymes to war poetry. He is the illustrator of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book A Mother’s Journey, Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle, Planet Zoo, The Spirit of the Forest, and more. Alan lives in an old house in the Kent countryside with his wife and two daughters.
Reviews
Marianne McShane evokes the folklore and superstitions of old Ireland in ‘The Fog Catcher’s Daughter,’ an atmospheric picture book about a girl who braves an encounter with fairies to save the life of her father. . . . . In the verdant Irish setting of Alan Marks’s windblown watercolor paintings, the fairies whirl like evil eddies of smoke.
The Wall Street Journal
Suffused with folklore of the Emerald Isle, Marianne McShane’s elegantly told, powerfully atmospheric story is both haunting and timeless, made all the more so by Alan Marks’ delicate, almost ethereal, watercolour scenes. How perfectly he captures the white-capped, rolling waves, the ghostly, menacing faeries, and the determination of Eily. Child listeners and anybody with an interest in folklore will surely love this magical tale.
Red Reading Hub
Alan Marks’s evocative illustrations are the perfect complement to the text, vividly capturing the beauty of the coastline, the wonder of Wise Annie’s shop, the volatile nature of the fairy folk as the events of the story unfold. Every spread is a work of art.
Through the Bookshelf
Solemnly told and infused with Irish folklore, this atmospheric tale feels familiar yet timeless. Watercolors in pastoral shades of green, blue, and brown ground the rather dreamy story in reality. Menacing, ghostlike fairies and roiling, white-capped waves increase the drama. . . A haunting, lyrical, original tale that leans into the magic and mystery of the Emerald Isle.
Kirkus Reviews
