Sebastian and Sapphire

“Come one, come all, swallows answer the call.Today as we take flight, you must summon your might.Wishing you all a safe flight, until our homeland is in sight.”

Sebastian and Sapphire: The Swallows’ Tale is a delightful work of children’s fiction, for those aged 5-10. The story begins on Migration Day when we follow a family of swallows – Zidane, Amber and old Redmond – as they begin their long and often dangerous journey from their wintering grounds in South Africa to Europe. But when the exhausted swallows eventually reach Ireland, they find that their nests are gone.

It is not long before Zidane and Amber’s young chicks hatch and we meet our story’s young hero, Sebastian. Different from all the other swallows, Sebastian wishes that he could be more like his brothers, Jabar and Chase, or his little sister Willow, who all fly so gracefully. But our hero must learn to embrace his differences before he can achieve true greatness.

Sebastian meets Sapphire, a bright-eyed swallow. The two become best friends and their adventures together begin. But one day the new friends fly into trouble when they encounter the menacing Flight Squad. After this close call, Zidane must tell Sebastian about Agron, the leader of the Flight Squad, who has threatened to capture Sebastian. It is not long before Agron attacks and Sebastian’s flight skills and bravery are tested...

“Since returning to live in the west of Ireland, my family and I have always loved witnessing the arrival, each spring, of the swallows. We appreciate the remarkable long journey undertaken by these small birds every year. I thought it would be a fun story to share with children,” says Sinead, of her inspiration for the book.

Sinead Edwards was born in 1978 and spent her early years in County Kildare, Ireland. Her family then moved to England where she attended school and went on to study law at Liverpool John Moores University. Upon graduating from university Sinead returned to live in the west of Ireland and embarked on her studies to become a solicitor, qualifying in 2005.