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Summary
Summary
This evocative wordless book about the mysteries of the sea invites readers to tell the story in their own words, which stimulates the imagination and helps develop visual literacy. Follow Alison Jay's distinctive crackle-varnished artwork as a storm -- and what it brings -- transforms the seashore for a day. Includes endnotes on marine life, lighthouses and the intriguing world of items that wash up on beaches.
Author Notes
A graduate in illustration from the London College of Printing, Alison Jay has been illustrating children's books for ten years. To create her unique style, she uses alkyd oil paint on paper with a crackling varnish, which gives her illustrations an antique, nostalgic quality. Alison lives and works in London, England.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Full of shells, rocks, and other found objects, this wordless beachcomber's tale captures a lively seaside setting with a lighthouse at its center. The boy who lives in the lighthouse, his dog and cat, and many others enjoy the beach on a clear day-boating, swimming, walking, collecting-but careful observers will notice the clouds creeping in. Volleying in and out of the comfort of the lighthouse that night, readers see the storm rage and bring in a large tide. When the new day dawns, a giant octopus has beached itself with its legs entangled in netting. At first people run in fear, but the lighthouse boy, his friend, and some animals bravely come to free the giant from the nets. The following comical spread shows everyone coming together to return the octopus to its home as all of the creatures of the sea, from orcas to dolphins to deep sea divers, grab a leg and pull. Rounded lines and exaggerated shapes and figures give the visuals, (done in alkyd oil paint with a crackle varnish), a magical storybook quality. The illustrations use borders and point of view to great effect in telling the story. Back matter includes relevant information about tides, lighthouses, the giant octopus, and trash. Perfect for hours of poring over and sharing.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Using her trademark whimsy-tinged, oil-and-crackling varnish paintings, Jay (A Gift for Mama) takes readers on a wordless fantasy adventure at the seashore. A boy who lives in a towering red-and-white lighthouse begins his day with a beach exploration, accompanied by his dog and cat, and equipped with a pail and shovel. He soon meets a girl who is a kindred beachcombing, animal-loving spirit. After a day of finding treasures in the sand, high tide and rough seas roll in. The next morning, the boy, his new friend, and a fleet of creatures including dolphins, whales, and seals all work to rescue a giant octopus left tangled in a net in the storm's wake. Jay skillfully highlights the small and large dramas of both days, which involve a busy cast of sunbathers, fishermen, swimmers, surfers, a scuba diver, and myriad shore critters in the background. Though readers can create their own narratives, end pages provide information on the giant octopus, several tidal animals, and lighthouses for those eager to learn more about the book's evocative setting. All ages. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
A lighthouse-dwelling boy and his friend find an octopus washed up on shore, trapped in a net. They band together with some sea creatures to liberate the animal. This wordless book delivers its subtle point through its fantastical oils with crackling varnish. (Look for one sea creature's clandestine liberation of a fishing boat's captives.) Information about tide pools, marine animals, and lighthouses is appended. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Jay's distinctive media and style combine to present a wordless, fantastic beach story of adventure and compassion.Cover art, frontmatter and opening illustrations introduce key characters and objects, aligning readers with the boy protagonist in his beachcombing activity as they search the pictures for detail. The boy meets a little girl who joins him in his play, but then everyone out at sea and on the beach flees for cover when a storm rolls in. The boy retreats to his lighthouse home, the next day waking to see a giant octopus that has emerged "out of the blue" and been washed up on the beach. Others have netted it to the ground, but when the boy discovers that it's still alive, he acts with the girl and others to free it and pull it back to sea. The oil paintings with crackling varnish are stunning in their narrative clarity as panels establish temporal sequence. On the other hand, the story reads like two pieces forced togetherthe beachcombing-play scenario and then the octopus story, and pacing would have been improved with a shorter first piece. Backmatter pages provide information about giant octopi, lighthouses, tides, jellyfish and other story details, but these aren't rich in content and end up seeming superfluous.A beautiful if rather sprawling beach book. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* When you live in a lighthouse, it's part of a normal day to play in tide pools, collect shells and pebbles, and take care of the beach. But a sudden storm disrupts the sunny enchantment and brings a surprise a very large one. Overnight, a giant octopus has washed ashore, its tentacles trapped in fishing line. When the boy notices the tears spilling from the eye of the helpless giant, he knows he must help. Soon, humans and sea creatures alike are banding together to free the octopus back into the ocean. Jay's book is utterly wordless, reliant upon round-edged panels, reminiscent of old camera viewfinders, to guide our eyes through the busy, crackle-varnished scenes for the first half of the book, it's up to the reader to construct the narrative. Our emotions, too, are guided, but gently, up until the poignant moment when the octopus weeps, turning what began as a breezy slice-of-life tale into one about collaboration and compassion. The characters' clothing suggests that the story is set in the past, and the endnotes about sea life and lighthouses confirm this. Much like the ocean itself, this book appears placid but can provide endless hours of fascinating perusal. Pair with David Wiesner's Flotsam (2006), and let the imaginations flow with the tides.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2010 Booklist
