Millie from Milford by Ruth Shaw

Title: Millie from Milford

Author: Ruth Shaw

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 29^th September 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 48

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: The heart-warming true story of a badly injured baby seal that was nursed back to health by Ruth Shaw, author of international bestseller The Bookseller at the End of the World.

Based on the true story of Ruth Shaw and her husband Lance looking after a baby seal that had been shot between the eyes.

Millie lives in Milford Sound, the number one tourist destination in Aotearoa New Zealand.

After Millie was checked by a vet, she was taken to Ruth and Lance’s home to be looked after until she got back to full strength.

Eventually they could return Millie to the wild seas where she belongs.

This is a beautiful story of the connection between a wild animal and a kindly human.

Perfect for
– children who love animal stories
– fans of Ruth Shaw
– visitors to Milford Sound
– anyone interested in wildlife conservation

~*~

Milford Sound is home to seals, and they love to laze about on the rocks. A colony of seals were doing just that one day, when their peace was shattered by a hunter. All the seals scatter, except for one who was shot. Millie is rushed away by kind people, taken care of and put into the care of Ruth and Lance. She’d stay there until she was ready to go home to the wild.

Milford Sound is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s top tourist spot, so reading a story where the peace is shattered and a beautiful animal like Millie is injured changes the serenity and shapes the world that Millie is part of in a different way.

The story doesn’t shy away from what happened in both the text and the images, so it’s ideal to prepare children for these scenes or save this for older readers who might be able to deal with things a bit more. Because this is a non-fiction, educational book, we as readers need to know all the facts about what happens to Millie and how she gets through it all.

Whilst the beginning of the book is sad, there is hope peppered throughout, reassuring readers that things will work out and that there are good people out there like Ruth and Lance who care for people and animals in times of need. This is a powerful story rendered as a picture book, which makes it accessible for a wide range of readers. It still feels aimed at older readers who might already be at school and reading than younger readers who use picture books as they are learning to read. I think this shows that there is a significant place for a wide range of picture books.

Because we can all get something out of them, like learning about Millie’s story and the big impact that two people make through caring for animals like Millie. It’s reassuring and beautiful, a reminder that there are good people out there. That there are ways to help, and that we can all help people and the world in our own ways.

Ruth and Lance’s story is intertwined with Millie’s. It’s one of hope and hoy, one of care and love and it is a story that celebrates the beauty of nature and the place it holds in the hearts of so many.  It captures the impact that people can have negatively and positively on the natural world.

It’s a lovely educational book that I am sure people will love reading.