CANDY GOURLAY - Is it a Mermaid?

Candy Gourlay was born in the Philippines, grew up under a dictatorship and met her husband during a revolution. Growing up, she wondered why books only featured pink-skinned children who lived in worlds that didn’t resemble her tropical home in Manila. It took her years to learn that Filipino stories too, belong in the pages of books. Her novel Bone Talk was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Prize in 2019 – it is set in the moment when headhunting tribes in the Philippines come face to face with American invaders. Her picture book, Is It a Mermaid, lushly illustrated by Francesca Chessa, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her novels have also been listed for the Waterstones, the Blue Peter and the Guardian Children’s Book Prize. She lives in London with her family, where she wages war on the snails in her garden.

Is It a Mermaid - Join author Candy Gourlay in a fun, interactive storytelling session featuring a rather unlikely mermaid. We will be drawing mermaids and sea creatures, and making stories out of a Magic Fish Bag!

Is It a Mermaid is about a dugong (cousin to the manatee) who thinks it is a mermaid. Historically, European sailors arriving on Asian shores during the Age of Exploration thought the dugongs were mermaids! The dugong is an animal vulnerable to extinction because it needs a sea grass environment in shallow waters, so the book is a great jumping off point for discussing vulnerable ecosystems. It is also about inclusion and acceptance and can be linked to books that widen gender awareness