Seal Mother is a beautifully illustrated Selkie folktale told in verse. This rhythmical tale flows in and out like the waves of the ocean, bringing the sad tale of a seal out of her skin. Trapped on the land, in her human form, will the Seal-maiden ever find her stolen coat? Will she ever be able to return to her family under the sea?

Based on a Scottish folktale that is known to be several centuries old. Several versions of the tale of a seal who turns into a woman have inspired this version.

On the Arctic ice, a mother harp seal gives birth to her pup. Camouflaged against the ice by its white fur, the helpless pup sticks close to mom, feeding on her rich milk. So begins the life of a harp seal pup. In this coming-of-age introduction to these adorable marine mammals, readers will learn that after just two weeks, the mother seal abandons her pup and returns to the sea. The little pup waits alone on the ice for its white baby coat to be replaced by gray fur, and then, at just a few weeks old, it dives into the freezing sea to find its own food and begin its ocean-dwelling life. The colorful interior spreads and gorgeous photos of fluffy, white seal pups are sure to delight emergent readers.

According to Andrea Buchanan, "Mother shock" is the state in which many new parents exist during those first confusing, chaotic and often comical years of parenting. It is the clash between expectation and result, theory and reality. It is the twilight zone of 24-hour-a-day living; where life is no longer neatly divided into day and night; the triple-impact of hormonal imbalance, sleep deprivation, and physical exhaustion. It is the stress of trying to acclimate quickly to the immediacy of mothering; a new conception of oneself, one’s role in the family and in the world; a fearful new level of responsibility, and a new delegation of domestic duties. In this much-needed and delightfully funny collection of essays, Buchanan shares the insight she gains as she moves through the stages of mother shock. From "Fear of the Double Stroller" and "Confessions of a Bottle Feeder" to "I’m an Idiot" and "Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Playgroup," Buchanan details the unimaginably difficult and unbelievably rewarding process of becoming a mother.

This book will take you on a journey to awaken a spiritual relationship with the seal, familiarizing you with the seal's anima as well as its history with the Gaelic ancestors of the British Isles. The Clan of the Seal on North Uist, and the traditional oral storytellers, were the transmitters and custodians of folklore, who told tales about the kindly selchie and revered seals as sacred, akin to their own family. The gentle seal will help reclaim what is lost within as we remember our Celtic heritage and identity in this fragile world. Seal lore teaches valuable lessons in integrity and kindness, and ignites our imagination, leading us to the seal's inner landscape of presence and peace - inevitably towards our own inner peace. This is the magic of the seal; not lost, but found.

Seals and sea lions are both sleek, fast swimmers and are known for forming large, noisy groups on land. At first glance, these animals look similar, but readers will enjoy exploring some of the ways to tell them apart. Full-color photographs highlight the concepts in the text and a comparison chart provides a handy visual tool for taking a closer look at how seals and sea lions measure up against one another. By the end of the book, readers will be experts on these furry, fun marine mammals.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.