Skip to main content

Swashby and the Sea

Image
By
Swashby and the Sea
By Beth Ferry
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. Picture book.

Captain Swashby likes to be in solitude - which is why he retires to a seaside house to enjoy peace and quiet with his old friend the ocean. This is all completely interrupted when a gregarious girl and her granny move in next door -- prompting Swashby to batten down the hatches and leave decidedly un-neighborly messages of "NO TRESPASSING" and "PLEASE GO AWAY" in the sand. Which the sea fiddles with, transforming it into "SING" and "PLAY" by washing away extra letters. Swashby starts to open up a little bit, but nothing quite brings him out of his shell until the ocean carries the child away from the shore, and Swashby dives in to save her.

We love Martinez-Neal's illustrations from the 2019 Caldecott Honor Alma and How She Got Her Name and the 2020 Sibert Medal Fry Bread, and she is back again with a color palette of muted blues, beige, and turquoise that evoke the setting and reflect the character's changing emotions. Her Swashby is perfectly curmudgeonly and the unnamed girl and her granny are suitably jubilant with buoyant afros and funky, over-sized sunglasses. Get your best pirate voice ready because this beachy, friendship story demands to be read aloud - over and over.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Story Time: The Letter "B"

By
From Monday Book Babies Bird, Balloon, Bear By Il Sung Na Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.  Picture Book. Bird is new to the forest, and he’s looking for a friend. Bear could use a friend, too. But Bird is too shy to introduce himself. Just as he musters the courage to say hello . . . it’s too late! Bear has already found a friend: a bright, shiny red balloon. Has Bird missed his chance?  From the acclaimed Il Sung Na comes a charming and beautifully illustrated story about courage, kindness, and friendship.  --Publisher From Monday Cuentos El primer día de un colegio Texto de Adam Rex Ilustraciones de Christian Robinson Traducción de Teresa Mlawer Editorial Corimbo, 2017.  Spanish Picture Book. Aquel verano, cuando terminaron de construir la escuela Frederick Douglass, el edificio comenzó a hacerse muchas preguntas: ¿Cuál será mi destino? ¿Quién vivirá entre mis paredes? ¿Para qué me utilizarán? Através de sus conversaciones con el conserje y t...
Post a Comment
Read more

An ABC of Flowers

By
An ABC of Flowers   by Jutta Hilpuesch New York, NY : Philomel Books, [2019] It turns out there really is a flower for every letter. This sweet book has a photograph of every flower and  a sweet cartoon illustration to go along with it. All your favorite flowers are here (forget-me-nots, mums, and sunflowers), along with some you probably haven't heard of before (billy ball, kalanchoe, xeranthemum?).  This is a perfect book for reading together, and readers of any age will enjoy every page. Don't miss this great springtime alphabet book. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Teddy's Top Picks

By Suzanne
  Bear in the Air Written by Susan Meyers Illustrated by Amy Bates New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010. Picture book. When a teddy bear is lost by the child who loves him, the bear begins an adventurous journey to get back home again. -- Editor Blanket and Bear, A Remarkable Pair Written by L.J.R. Kelly Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2013. Picture book. When a boy loses his beloved blanket and bear, they travel a great distance to make their way back to him. -- Editor A Bear to Share Written by Jessica Alba, Nora Weinstein, and Kelly Patricof  Illustrated by Alicia Mas New York, NY : Baby2Baby/Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021. Picture book. Tiana loves her teddy bear, Bach. She doesn't mind that he's a little worn and somewhat torn. So when her mother suggests she make room for a new bear, Tiana can't believe her ears! Will Tiana have to lose the one bear she really loves? Or will she find room in her heart for t...
Post a Comment
Read more