Freedom Child of the Sea

A young man, swimming off the shore of a Caribbean island, is saved from drowning by a mysterious boy who appears from the depths. His body is scarred, yet his face is beautiful, and he leaps and swims as joyously as the dolphins. When the young man tells this to a passing stranger, he in turn is told a story of the days of slave trading.

When one of his ancestors came to these islands aboard a slave ship, a pregnant woman was thrown off because it was thought she wouldn't survive the journey. It is said that she and her son live in the ocean to this day, and he is calledFreedom Child of the Sea. Only when there is harmony among all people will he and his mother be able to live on land as others do. Reassuring the young man that there is hope for all humanity, the stranger goes on his way.

Richardo Keens-Douglas, an actor, playwright, author, and storyteller, has published six previous picture books for children, includingThe Trial of the Stone and The Nutmeg Princess. His works have appeared on American Bookseller's "Pick of the Lists" and been nominated for the Governor General's Award and the Silver Birch Award, among others. He presently divides his time between Grenada and Toronto.

Julia Gukova is an award-winning artist with 36 titles to her name. She has traveled to India and Europe, and lives with her young son in Moscow, Russia.