Click Play: It's a tiny promo for the book.
Title: Swashby and the Sea
Author: Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020
For all ages
Themes: The sea, friendship, change
This book had me at the cover. Yes, I judged this book by the cover. It drew me in and I am so glad because I love everything about it. This is a wonderful example of how the illustrator brings more life to a wonderful story.
Look at those two characters!
Swashby is just the right amount salty and sweet. The girl is too cute to be ignored. And that crab and gull. Oh, my.
Then you open the book and begin . . .
"Captain Swashby loved the sea. The sea and he had been friends for a long, long time. She knew him in and out, up and down, and better than anyone."
Did you hear to how beautifully Beth Ferry brings the sea to life as one of the characters?
Look at how the gulls lead your eyes around the page.
I just want to crawl into this book and join the fun. Maybe I can be Granny.
Resources and Activities:
- Check out Juana's Website.
-Check out Beth's Website.
-Build a sandcastle. If you aren't near sand, you could build a box castle or mud castle.
-Make a wish. No starfish? You can make an origami star. These take a little practice, but once you get the hang of them, they are pretty easy to make and only take a little slice of paper.
- Say hi to a neighbor.
- Make some chalk drawings on your driveway.
- Write a word or phrase and see what little change you could make to that phrase to create something different and new.
Something to eat:
S'Mores
Traditional s'mores are graham crackers, chocolate, and toasted marshmallows. All sweet and no salt.
Maybe you could try it on a Saltine or Ritz cracker. Or maybe you could use some salted chocolate. Or add a layer of peanut butter.
What's your idea for making the s'More unique to you?
You can borrow the book from your library or buy it for your collection. Support your local indie book store.
Jilanne, I had to buy this book too!
What a cute trailer! I hadn't seen it before. I adore this book! And I had to get one for my very own.