The Seagull and the Sea Captain
by Sy Montgomery
illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. 36 pages.
Review written June 8, 2022, from a library book
Science writer Sy Montgomery has taken a true story of a friendship between a herring gull and a sea captain and turned it into a sweet picture book.
The sea captain takes his family’s schooner out of Gloucester Harbor during the summer season. One day in 2013, a gull got some food from him, and he noticed that gull had a toe missing. The same gull has been visiting his boat ever since.
We’ve got details in the back and lots of interesting facts about gulls. Meanwhile, the picture book story imagines the perspectives of both the man and the gull. The story is quiet but lovely, telling of a connection between a man and a bird.
Here’s how the story part ends:
And now every summer, from May to October, Polly Five Toes joins the captain on his schooner almost every day. Often he even sits on the captain’s head! “That’s the best view,” explains the captain. Polly Five Toes enjoys the crackers, and also enjoys the view. But the best part, he agrees with the captain, is the journey together — because everything’s more fun with a friend.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.
Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
What did you think of this book?
*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.