Now that we’re a couple of weeks into 2021, it’s safe to say that the new year, in many ways, is much like 2020. Aside from our hybrid school schedule and outdoor snow play with neighborhood friends, we are at home. We find our fun every day… some way! But many of our activities are reruns of things we’ve done for the past 10 months.
Assembling puzzles…
Making crafts…
Baking (and eating) all the things…
Though we often come to our wits’ end with one another, I know this time is precious, especially at my daughters’ young ages. But, oh! How lovely it would be to sail away right about now. Somewhere warm. Somewhere sandy. Somewhere tropical. Somewhere far, far away. A new picture book provides a great reminder that so long as imagination lives and breathes within us, we can go farther, and find more joy, than we might think.
OFF TO SEE THE SEA is a new title from the dream duo of author Nikki Grimes and illustrator Elizabeth Zunon (Sourcebook Kids, January 2021). Their collaboration BEDTIME FOR SWEET CREATURES was one of my favorite books of 2020. Both titles center on finding adventure within every day childhood moments. (And I believe one more story is coming in this series! Yay, a trilogy!)
OFF TO SEE THE SEA is a joyful, fantastical, poetic tale about a child coaxed into the bath, where splashing fun awaits. In prose bubbling with beauty and vibrant oceanic art, this picture book invites readers to dive into their daily routines with eyes open to new possibilities. Here are three things that I love about OFF TO SEE THE SEA…
Playful and Tender
Wrangling a child into the bath can take some serious creativity. OFF TO SEE THE SEA is told in the second person by a mother who invents an immersive new world to get the job done. A delightful game plays out on the page, as child evades (hiding and giggling) and mom gently beckons (in whispers and coos). When the little one finally enters the tub, mom asks, “Now, was that so bad?” In playful dialogue and tender action, mom deepens the detail of her narrative, keeping her child in the soapy sea while also building a special story that’s theirs alone. Time shared tub-side by these two is filled with ritual and comfort. It is pure fun and pure love.
Sensory Rich Language
Lively and aurally rich, OFF TO SEE THE SEA serenades readers with evocative imagery and swells of internal rhyme and alliteration. Grimes’s words are so incredibly pleasing to say and hear. Phrases such as “toes touch the tile” and “slip-sliding into a soft-scented sea” roll off the tongue, awakening the senses. You can feel the smooth cool of the bathroom floor, the warm surround of the bath water, the floral effervescence of the bubbles. Each word-dancing spread in OFF TO SEE THE SEA brings you further into this intimate familial space, a feeling sure to bring treasured memories to mind for readers.
Color and Movement
OFF TO SEE THE SEA is a glowing, happy, heartfelt visual delight. Zunon’s bright, dreamy palette conveys the heightened excitement of imaginative play. Backgrounds are bathed soft splashy blue and warm cozy yellow. The characters’ clothes pop with blocks of color - hot pink, soft purple and kelly green. Collaged representations of ocean sand, waves and seaweed sway and swirl. Even the text itself arcs and bows, then balloons and peeks. Everything moves. Like the swells and splashes of the sea, this bath story frolics and dances with life.
OFF TO SEE THE SEA transports readers to a sunny, sparkling place at a time when snow and solitude blanket much of the country and world. Readers looking for a sliver of shine will certainly find it in this celebratory story. And they also just may catch a spark of inspiration - a bit of encouragement to reach through the monotony of the day and make a regular old chore something memorable and more.
New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature, the 2017 Children's Literature Legacy Award, the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the much-honored books Garvey's Choice, ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, Words with Wings, and The Road to Paris. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.
Elizabeth Zunon is the illustrator of many books for children. In addition to Off to See the Sea and Bedtime for Sweet Creatures (written by Nikki Grimes), Zunon wrote and illustrated Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, From Farm to Family, and illustrated Walking through Africa: A Rhyme in Zulu, As Big as the Sky, I am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon, Martha and the Slave Catchers, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, and many more. Zunon lives in Albany, New York, where she draws, paints, collages, sews, silkscreens, and makes jewelry and purses. Her work is largely influenced by the people, places, and things from her childhood in the Ivory Coast as the product of two cultures.
One lucky reader will win OFF TO SEE THE SEA by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon!
*** Win OFF TO SEE THE SEA ***
Simply...
1. "Like" this post (click the heart below)
2. Follow me (@anitraschulte) on Twitter
3. Retweet my pinned contest tweet by 1/29/21
(Submit a blog comment below and get a BONUS ENTRY!)
GOOD LUCK!
