Review Detail

‘The Fog Catcher’s Daughter’ by Marianne McShane, illustrated by Alan Marks, puts readers into an Irish setting and punctuates it with an original story about a young girl who takes matters into her own hands in order to save her father.

Eily and her father live in a cottage near the sea, and her father is a Fog Catcher. In one of their fields, they grow herbs that they sprinkle with magic fog water. Those herbs get brewed into cures and braided into charms to be sold in an apothecary shop in the village. When her father tells her they need more fairy water for cures and charms to keep away sickness and ill luck, he takes to the seas. Eily worries, though, and after she gets home once he’s left for the sea, she thinks of him without his charm and goes after him, concerned for his safety.

The author’s note in the back of the book does a nice job of adding distinct value about islands around the coast of Ireland and more about the job of being a fog catcher in the real world. The illustrations are striking, providing glimpses into the Irish countryside and into Irish life. Eily’s adventures make her a heroine in her own right. The way she cares about and works to take care of her family is a beautiful testament to the power of determination, willpower, and faith.