{"id":37945,"date":"2021-02-01T23:38:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T03:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37945"},"modified":"2021-02-01T23:40:16","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T03:40:16","slug":"review-of-swashby-and-the-sea-by-beth-ferry-illustrated-by-juana-martinez-neal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37945","title":{"rendered":"Review of Swashby and the Sea, by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swashby and the Sea<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

by Beth Ferry
\nillustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal<\/p>\n

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 32 pages.
\nReview written July 7, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review
\n2020 Sonderbooks Standout<\/a>:
\n\t#8 Fiction Picture Books<\/p>\n

Swashby and the Sea<\/em> is a charming story of an old sea captain who likes living alone, by his friend the sea. His little boat is even called El Recluso<\/em>. But when neighbors move in, a little girl and her granny, the girl doesn\u2019t respect Swashby\u2019s boundaries. She climbs on his deck and spreads out on the beach near his house.<\/p>\n

Swashby knows what to do.<\/p>\n

Swashby battened down the hatches,
\nhid when the doorbell rang, and fed their oatmeal cookies to the gulls.
\nHe didn\u2019t need neighbors.
\nHe didn\u2019t want neighbors.
\nNeighbors were nosy, a nuisance, annoying.
\nSo, in return, he left a message written clearly in the sand,
\nNO TRESPASSING
\nwhich the sea fiddled with, just a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSING,\u201d the girl read.
\nAnd did just that.
\nShe sang every song she knew while dancing up and down Swashby\u2019s deck.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are more messages in the sand, and the sea keeps fiddling with them. Something I like about this book is that I didn\u2019t figure out how the sea would transform the message \u2013 but then when I saw it, it was perfect.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s maybe a predictable adventure that gets Swashby finally truly committed to friendship, but the whole thing is a charming story of an old crusty sailor and a little Black girl bubbling with joy. I should add that the pictures are consistently wonderful and convey the characters\u2019 personalities and the magic of the sea.<\/p>\n

bethferry.com<\/a>
\njuanamartinezneal.com<\/a>
\nhmhbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/swashby_and_the_sea.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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