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The Sea Saw
£6.20£6.60 (-6%)
A beautiful, emotionally satisfying look at how nothing is ever truly lost if you keep it in your heart…
When Sofia loses her beloved teddy after a day at the beach, she is heartbroken. But the sea saw it all, and maybe, just maybe, it can bring Sofia and her teddy back together. However long it may take…
Exquisite collage artwork is paired with an assured, moving text in this very special picture book.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster Children's UK (10 Jan. 2019) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 32 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1471172430 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1471172434 |
| Reading age | 3 years and up |
| Dimensions | 21.9 x 0.5 x 24.9 cm |
by CobWeb
Every now and then a true gem comes along; not so often does the subject require a box of tissues (for the adults)! There is the mention of and old photographs of Sofia’s Mother, without explanation, which may be sensitive to some.
The story is an emotional roller-coaster that offers scope for much discussion on every turn of the page, with an unexpected twist at the end that brings back the smiles, as we return to where we started.
ooOoo
~ TITLE: THE SEA SAW
~ AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: TOM PERCIVAL
~ PUBLISHER: SIMON & SCHUSTER
~ 2019
‘Printed in China’
From the back cover:
???? ‘When Sofia loses her beloved bear at the beach, nobody sees but the sea…
A moving and heart-warming story which shows that nothing is every truly lost if you keep it in your heart.’
There is a note on the inside front cover acknowledging the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam for:
~ ‘the use of images from their collection in the creation of the illustrations for this book.’
ooOoo
Shiny emphasis on the front cover for the title and the main characters, namely, Sofia and her bear, along with the talented author/illustrator’s name, TOM PERCIVAL.
Wider than average, the quality produced book measures around 27.5 cm x 24.5 cm and opens to 32 matte finish pages, of which 29 are the story, across double page spreads, bar the last.
The sentences are in a good-sized font, in black for the best part, maybe a little hard to read on the darker backgrounds if the light is poor. The occasional word is nonchalantly italicised, for added emphasis, but may get missed by a younger reader.
Of course, the atmospheric illustrations really make the story, which are suitably darker when required to reflect the emotion…but hope lingers throughout, because the ‘the Sea saw’.
[6 images attached ©Tom Percival/Simon & Schuster/2019]
by Becca S
This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are rich, detailed and evocative. My son immediately fell in love with it. It’s bitter sweet, which I think is healthy. There are a few layers to it, which I’m sure he’ll appreciate over time.
I think this is a new classic and would make an excellent gift for any child. It will be my go to recommendation for anyone thinking about new children’s book to try.
by Russell
The language and illustrations gently carry you through this heartwarming story, nothing feels exaggerated or implausible; children ‘get it’ almost instantly. The despair of losing an irreplaceable item resonates with both young and old, and this uncomplicated tale perfectly reminds us that all is not lost, even when we may believe it is.
by RJ
A touching story written and illustrated with the kind of love and attention to detail I’ve come to expect from Tom. Beautiful.
by Sok F. Tang
A great story to introduce young children to the concept that things are never lost if you have memories of it.
by k
Very pretty book and my daughter loves the teddies. The concept is generally great but the ending is just a big eye-roll really… it doesn’t easily make sense to a toddler age group, nor does it really link to the cheesy ‘message’ on the final page. It’s a shame as it could’ve been a great book about loss and moving forward or seeing something you once loved make someone else happy… but guttingly this was substituted with a strange muddled cop out for a very unrealistic happy ending.
by Andrew
As always from Tom Percival, this is a book with beautiful illustrations and a warm story. My toddler loves it!
by CobWeb
An absolutely beautiful book that has me crying with every bedtime read we do of it!