- A major publisher has taken the potentially controversial
step of releasing a picture book, aimed at young children, about a same-sex
relationship.
-
- Hello, Sailor tells the story of a lighthouse-keeper
and his sailor friend. While the nature of the friendship is not spelled
out, Macmillan hopes the book will provoke debate on the validity of gay
relationships.
-
- The publisher also believes Hello, Sailor could have
"crossover" appeal among adults, and is releasing it in time
for Valentine's Day.
-
- It tells the story of Matt, the lighthouse keeper, who
constantly watches the sea, waiting for his friend Sailor to return. He
has trouble concentrating on anything else, and his other friends doubt
whether Sailor will come back.
-
- Later in the evening, Sailor does return and the pair
spend the night together, before setting off at dawn to sail around the
world together. The tenderest scene is when the pair are reunited:
-
- "Sailor!" Matt gasped. "You've come back!"
He couldn't believe his eyes. "Hello, Sailor!"
-
- Sailor laughed. "Did you think I'd forgotten you?
I thought we were going to sail round the world together."
-
- "Yes," cried Matt. "I've been waiting
for you!" The two friends didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
-
- They turned round in a circle, to get a better look at
one another. It was almost as if they were dancing.
-
- Sailor was back!
-
- Macmillan says the book should not raise as much controversy
as Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, a schoolbook that in part led to the
enactment of the section 28 legislation preventing "promotion"
of homosexuality by local authorities.
-
- Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin made clear the relationship
between the two male characters, while Hello, Sailor is much more subtle.
-
- Kate Wilson, children's books publisher at Macmillan,
said: "Hello, Sailor works on a number of levels.
-
- "To many young readers, it will simply be a book
about the power of friendship. One of the things children must get used
to is the intense nature of friendship.
-
- "Having said that, Hello, Sailor offers itself to
diverse audiences as a book with groundbreaking possibilities.
-
- "It's a book, for instance, that you might decide
to share with a child to show that relationships between men are OK. And,
we have also had feedback that the book could draw in sales as an alternative
Valentine's Day gift."
-
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,12592,878174,00.html
|
