Millie from Milford by Ruth Shaw and Deborah Hinde
Millie from Milford, a beautiful new picture book, is a heartwarming true story about Millie, a seal pup who was born among the rocks near the head of Milford Sound.
At the beginning of the book, Mother seal suckles Millie and her other pups and teaches them how to jump into the ocean once they are three months old.
Afterwards they play and feed in the water and laze on the warm rocks with their mothers to the delight of passengers on tourist boats. But one day at dusk, when the tourist boats have gone, the seals watch a man standing on the deck of his fishing boat. Suddenly they hear a loud BANG! They race for cover behind the rocks or dive deep into the ocean to stay safe. Only Millie is left behind, stunned and bleeding profusely. She has been shot between the eyes. Slowly, she slides into the water, struggles up a boat ramp toward a building, and collapses once inside.
The cleaner who finds her later in the day is shocked. He alerts Lance, the skipper of the DOC coastal vessel, who takes her to a local vet in Te Anau. The vet treats her, but someone needs to look after her until her wounds heal, so Lance offers to take her back to his home in Manapōuri, where his wife, Ruth, will be happy to care for her. Although Millie is frightened at first and misses her Mother and the other seal pups, she gradually begins to trust Ruth.
The part of the story that tells of the loving relationship that develops between Ruth and Millie is especially heartwarming. But when Millie is well again, Ruth realises that she must let her go back to where she truly belongs. She cries, knowing she will never see Millie again. When Lance releases Millie back into the ocean, she happily dives into the water and rejoins the rest of the seal colony. Children will be delighted to hear that after this near tragedy there is a happy ending for Millie. Deborah Hinde, the illustrator, has illustrated more than forty picture books. She uses a computer as a tool to create her realistic illustrations, which perfectly match Ruth’s story.
On the cover, Milly takes centre stage. She looks adorable sitting on the rocks above the water. In the distance, the towering, moss-covered, misty mountains of Milford Sound are shown. Her illustrations of the pups playing together, spinning, diving and floating, radiate happiness and will delight young children. She has skillfully captured the caring, concerned looks on the faces of the cleaner who found Millie, Lance from Doc as he gently lifts her up and transports her to the local vet, the vet as he treats her, and Ruth’s loving look as she cares for Millie.
Millie from Milford is aimed at children from 4 to 8. Such a dramatic tale with a happy ending is a lovely book to read with little ones. It is a story they will want to come back to again and again and enjoy reading by themselves later on. The underlying message is how precious our marine animals are, the need to keep them safe from harm and to look after them.
Older children may want to know what happened to the fisherman who shot Millie. There is an end note at the end of the book that tells us that the fisherman who so callously shot her was a visitor from up North. He was forced to leave Milford Sound and was told never to return.
It is a stunning picture book to add to the family bookshelf. And tourists who have visited Milford Sound may also like to tuck a copy of Millie from Milford into their luggage to take back home to bring back memories of seeing seal pups and their mothers sunning themselves on the rocks and cavorting in the water.
Ruth Shaw is also the bestselling author of The Bookseller at the End of the World. Millie from Milford is her first Picture Book. I do hope there will be more to follow.
Reviewer: Lyn Potter
Allen & Unwin
