January 2014, Simply Read Books, 36 pages, Hardback, Review copy
Summary from Simply Read Books
On a little island in the middle of the big ocean, there lives a little
boy who is lonely. He dreams of adventure on the high seas and loves to
go out on his boat every day to fish. He is about to meet a very big
friend that will change his life forever.
Nayuleska's thoughts
I didn’t
expect to be crying by the time I finished this story. I liked the watercolour
illustrations because they added to the dreamy feel of the story, which feels
like it should be read at bedtime (or not if you cry over it like me). I wasn’t
always keen on some of the illustration lay out: for example the boy was mega
lonely and only really saw fish & birds...and yet in one illustration there
was a ship but that wasn’t mentioned at all, and the boy’s dream illustration
was a little freaky to me.
However,
that’s all the not so positive parts of this heartwarming and heartbreaking
tale. The way the boy meets the whale for the second time was touching after a
dramatic scene which had my fear for the boy’s safety. I ended up crying
because it’s sad that he remained on his own for his whole life – I wanted him
to see real people and interact with them.
Find out more on Michael's website.
Suggested read
Another picture book to ponder on is Star Girl by Karin Littlewood (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)
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