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Colm of the Islands
Colm of the Islands is afraid of no man or beast – indeed he counts among his special friends the otter, the golden eagle and the salmon.
Certainly he does not fear the giants, as the other Islanders do. Until one day when his girl, Selva, is snatched by a gigantic hand...
Certainly he does not fear the giants, as the other Islanders do. Until one day when his girl, Selva, is snatched by a gigantic hand...
45 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
4 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Harris
39 books20 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Harris attended school in Weymouth, and then studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the Chelsea School of Art and the Courtauld Institute. She served in the British Red Cross Nursing Auxiliary Westminster Division during World War II, and has worked as a picture restorer, a reader for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and a children's book reviewer for The Times from 1970 to 1973. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1968 for The Moon in the Cloud. This book was the first in a trilogy set in ancient Egypt. The subsequent books were The Shadow on the Sun and The Bright and Morning Star. The book was also the basis for a 1978 episode of the BBC series "Jackanory." Other books dealt with topics as diverse as terrorism, magic and futuristic totalitarianism.
Harris attended school in Weymouth, and then studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the Chelsea School of Art and the Courtauld Institute. She served in the British Red Cross Nursing Auxiliary Westminster Division during World War II, and has worked as a picture restorer, a reader for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and a children's book reviewer for The Times from 1970 to 1973. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1968 for The Moon in the Cloud. This book was the first in a trilogy set in ancient Egypt. The subsequent books were The Shadow on the Sun and The Bright and Morning Star. The book was also the basis for a 1978 episode of the BBC series "Jackanory." Other books dealt with topics as diverse as terrorism, magic and futuristic totalitarianism.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 15, 2022
This picture book had some inconsistencies but it was an interesting read, featuring otter shapeshifting.
Colm is an Irish/Scottish farmer. He doesn't believe in the legends of giants but does seem to believe in the sea people. He is a friend to all creatures - saved an otter, a salmon, and golden eagle fledglings. A bit of an outsider. The people think him soft/odd; he thinks them silly. His father died at sea.
Because Colm spoke in disbelief and disparagement about giants, a giant takes Colm's sweetheart, Selva, as punishment to a castle. The golden eagle helps Colm get into the castle where Selva is being forced to spin nettle into thread. The female giant was going to eat Colm but thought him too handsome and will let Selva go if Colm gets her a giant rope of pearls for her neck.
Colm goes to sea and the otter he saved carries him down to the sea kingdom. Where the Sea King lives is the country of eternal youth. Very pretty. The otter is really the son of the Sea King, and carries his otter's pelt over his arm (26). The Otter Prince has talked of Colm to his family and his sister wants to marry Colm. As an otter before he had promised to give him the pearls. His sister promises to give him her pearls. But the prince doesn't stop his sister from giving Colm a drink which makes him lose his memory. If not for the salmon, which carried a nettle-ring from Selva to Colm, he wouldn't have recovered his memory and would have married the princess.
30 When he kisses the princess's lips they are "as cold as deep water" and send "a strange shiver" through him. He is "entranced" (34) but sees himself drowning in her eyes as he has lost himself in the enchantment. Glamour is a factor as when the spell is broken by the betrothal ring Selva sends, his memory returns and "He saw the undersea kingdom in its true light" - the sea princesses are mermaids, who have lovely faces but are sea green and with fish tails. The Otter Prince returns to otter form and gives Colm the pearls and Colm remembers the "sea-folk's promises were always kept" an island belief.
The giantess is more interested in the beautiful pearls than in her husband, and bonks him on the head to let the others get away. They would have had to leave in case the giants came for revenge, but the sea princess comes up angry about her pearls and grabs them from the giants. She had stolen her father's sea chariot and this drowns the giants in their house. The sun sets and Colm and Selva are happy.
Colm is an Irish/Scottish farmer. He doesn't believe in the legends of giants but does seem to believe in the sea people. He is a friend to all creatures - saved an otter, a salmon, and golden eagle fledglings. A bit of an outsider. The people think him soft/odd; he thinks them silly. His father died at sea.
Because Colm spoke in disbelief and disparagement about giants, a giant takes Colm's sweetheart, Selva, as punishment to a castle. The golden eagle helps Colm get into the castle where Selva is being forced to spin nettle into thread. The female giant was going to eat Colm but thought him too handsome and will let Selva go if Colm gets her a giant rope of pearls for her neck.
Colm goes to sea and the otter he saved carries him down to the sea kingdom. Where the Sea King lives is the country of eternal youth. Very pretty. The otter is really the son of the Sea King, and carries his otter's pelt over his arm (26). The Otter Prince has talked of Colm to his family and his sister wants to marry Colm. As an otter before he had promised to give him the pearls. His sister promises to give him her pearls. But the prince doesn't stop his sister from giving Colm a drink which makes him lose his memory. If not for the salmon, which carried a nettle-ring from Selva to Colm, he wouldn't have recovered his memory and would have married the princess.
30 When he kisses the princess's lips they are "as cold as deep water" and send "a strange shiver" through him. He is "entranced" (34) but sees himself drowning in her eyes as he has lost himself in the enchantment. Glamour is a factor as when the spell is broken by the betrothal ring Selva sends, his memory returns and "He saw the undersea kingdom in its true light" - the sea princesses are mermaids, who have lovely faces but are sea green and with fish tails. The Otter Prince returns to otter form and gives Colm the pearls and Colm remembers the "sea-folk's promises were always kept" an island belief.
The giantess is more interested in the beautiful pearls than in her husband, and bonks him on the head to let the others get away. They would have had to leave in case the giants came for revenge, but the sea princess comes up angry about her pearls and grabs them from the giants. She had stolen her father's sea chariot and this drowns the giants in their house. The sun sets and Colm and Selva are happy.
January 18, 2017
A beautiful folkloric tale of an island turf-cutter. Colm lives in the Hebrides - and he doesn't believe those old stories of giants in a rocky off-shore castle or a sea-king who lives in a palace beneath the waves. He thought his neighbours silly to tell such outlandish fairystories; and they thought him soft for rescuing otters and eagles - and even salmon.
One day, Colm insults the giants he doesn't believe in. An unwise move - for one of the giants is out for revenge. Colm's sweetheart is abducted and the only way he can get her back is by handing over a rope of pearls from around the neck of the sea-king's daughter.
Gorgeous illustrations by Pauline Baynes who is best remembered for her pictures in the The Chronicles of Narnia.
One day, Colm insults the giants he doesn't believe in. An unwise move - for one of the giants is out for revenge. Colm's sweetheart is abducted and the only way he can get her back is by handing over a rope of pearls from around the neck of the sea-king's daughter.
Gorgeous illustrations by Pauline Baynes who is best remembered for her pictures in the The Chronicles of Narnia.
September 8, 2023
A well told Hebridean folk tale of Colm and his girl Selva, with giants, the Sea King and his underwater court, and three animal helpers: otter, golden eagle and salmon.
There's a challenge and a quest, and [SPOILER ALERT!] a happy ending.
Beautifully illustrated by Pauline Bayne, evoking the mundane and the magical - plenty for children to gaze at and pick out all sorts of fascinating detail.
There's a challenge and a quest, and [SPOILER ALERT!] a happy ending.
Beautifully illustrated by Pauline Bayne, evoking the mundane and the magical - plenty for children to gaze at and pick out all sorts of fascinating detail.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews