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Summary
Summary
Erin loves to lie on the jetty, looking for the weirdest fish in the sea--the weirder, the better! And she knows the best ones must be further out, where her mum won't let her go...
Out there in the deepest sea lies the Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! Can Erin uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend?
Author Notes
Joe Todd-Stanton grew up in Brighton and was taught to draw by his mother, who is also an illustrator. He studied at Bristol University, receiving a first class degree in Illustration.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Todd-Stanton follows Arthur and the Golden Rope with another engrossing story of an intrepid child. Erin Pike, a fisherwoman's daughter, is eager to unlock the local legend of Black Rock, which some say "never stays in the same place and... could smash a boat to pieces." After sneaking onto her mother's boat, Erin is washed overboard and discovers that Black Rock is an enormous, friendly, rocklike creature that's also home to a bounty of sea life. But when Erin shares what she has learned, the residents of her coastal town see the creature as a threat. Todd-Stanton creates a striking visual contrast between the rich blue-green depths of the water and the glowing reds and oranges used for the brick, wood, and metal of the human world. There's a powerful sense of drama in his cartooning and storytelling, as well as a friendliness at play in the artwork that tempers this yarn's scariest moments. It's a story that succeeds both as a daring adventure and as a reminder that our own living (if not quite so anthropomorphic) habitat needs to be treated with care. Ages 3-7. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
After a courageous young girl befriends a legendary creature, she must stop the frightened villagers from attacking it. With ivory hair and pale white skin, Erin Pike lives in a quaint seaside town with her spotted hound, Archie, and her fisherwoman mother. The people of her town all tell tales of the horrible monster Black Rock, a fearsome and gigantic nautical creature capable of moving throughout the seas and tearing boats to pieces. Undaunted by the whispers, Erin stows away on her mother's boat to find the monster. She discovers, however, that Black Rock is a gentle being who follows the plethora of beautiful aquatic life that inhabits the sea. When the townsfolk decide to attack Black Rock, will one small girl be able to stop them? Todd-Stanton's tale is, at first glance, a deceptively simple tale of acceptance and bravery. However, he deftly infuses his narrative with quiet depth, including a positive ecological slant in which nature wins over machines, and portrays Erin's single mother succeeding in a typically male-dominated profession. The illustrations are dazzling and vibrantly hued, the rich palette just right for the resplendent undersea scenes that adroitly float young readers' sense of magic just under the surface of the mundane. A winner on many levels. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
New York Review of Books Review
Three friends fish on a meandering river. Oliver, an elephant, nabs a fish with his trunk; Lulu, an owl, uses her claws; but Charlie, a rabbit, can't catch any with his pole. They race boats made of sticks; Charlie's loses. His pals cheer him up by building a raftthey all fish from. This is Chase's third book with these adorably rosy-cheeked, mismatched creatures who overcome snafus and stay friends. With creamy watercolors, loose pen lines and easy storytelling, her outdoorsy life lessons sidle up as gently as a summer breeze. THERE MIGHT BE LOBSTERS By Carolyn Crimi. Illustrated by Laurel Molk. 32 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) In Crimi's reassuring story, a little black-and-white dog, Sukie, has an ocean-size fear of the beach: the big sandy stairs, the big salty waves and - especially - lobsters. Her owner, a jaunty tankini-clad girl named Eleanor, tries to be encouraging, but soon she's diving into the water herself, leaving Sukie alone on the sand. When a wave carries offSukie's stuffed monkey, the pup swallows her worries and swims to the rescue. Molk's loose-limbed art in salt-water-taffy hues sets a sunny-day mood perfect for conquering bugaboos. THE SECRET OF BLACK ROCK Written and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. 40 pp. Flying Eye. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Not many maritime adventure stories feature a plucky girl heroine. Todd-Stanton throws in a monster legend and gives this trippy book an ecological message to boot: Erin sneaks onto her mom's fishing boat to check out the ominous Black Rock for herself; after a scary fall overboard she learns the rock-creature is not only friendly, he's home to an array of sea life. So she has to stop the townspeople from destroying him. The fast-paced story zooms ahead, but on every page the comics-style art is packed with details worth lingering over. HATTIE & HUDSON Written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 32 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Hattie is one lucky girl: She hops into a canoe each summer morning to explore an idyllic mountain lake. When her singing attracts a dinosaurlike monster who lives at the bottom, it turns out he's a gentle soul. They forge a connection, but the grown-ups decide to eliminate the giant creature. She concocts a clever plan to convince the town he's harmless. Van Dusen's ("The Circus Ship") sleekly painted lake is a midsummer day's dream: saturated greens, glimmering blue water and little red boats you're dying to take for a spin. TOWN IS BY THE SEA By Joanne Schwartz. Illustrated by Sydney Smith. 52 pp. Groundwood/ House of Anansi. $19.95. (Picture book; ages 5 to 9) This quietly devastating book from Schwartz ("Pinny in Summer") and Smith ("Sidewalk Flowers," "The White Cat and the Monk") stirs timeless, elemental emotions. An unnamed narrator takes us through his daily life in a picturesque, run-down seaside town in the 1950s. The boy plays and runs an errand for his mother; his father "works under the sea, deep down in the coal mines." Smith's unsettling juxtapositions - an ocean glints in the sun, men bend over in dark, smudgy mines - echo the boy's poetic resignation to his own future as a miner.
