A Rhode Island Folktale

Seth McCombs draws from his childhood imaginings for a children’s book featuring an intrepid quahogger and dangerous sea monsters. Old Salty Dog: A Rhode Island Folktale is birthed from Seth’s early love of Narragansett Bay. “I wondered at the creatures I found in the shallows. I read every book the Warwick library had on marine life and imagined everything I read about what was lurking just out of sight.”

A lifelong Rhode Islander, the author grew up in Warwick, where he recently returned to live with his wife Mindy. Seth learned to SCUBA dive as an adult and knows firsthand what lies under the waves, but never forgot what he dreamed up as a child. He also has a strong respect for those who ply their trade on the water. “It’s a real tough gig. Our local guys deserve a little mythologizing.”

Seth’s cartoon style drawings complement the rhyming tale. A page of artwork at the end of the story invites children to look back and find sea creatures hidden in the illustrations. The book is sold throughout Rhode Island. Online the book is available on Amazon and Seth’s website. The first 1,000 copies – half of which are already sold – bear the subtitle A Rhode Island Folktale. Future editions will omit the subtitle to appeal to a larger New England audience. “I wanted the first edition to be something cool for Rhode Islanders to feel belongs to them.”