The Endless Sea

When a family are forced to leave their home behind, they set off on a perilous journey to a find a new life.

Based on the author’s own experiences, ‘The Endless Sea’ begins with a family, living ‘a tiger’s whisker’ away from the jungle. Here, after a long war, their family are suffering in the aftermath, punished for being on the losing side. No countries are mentioned in the text, but the author’s note identifies this as Vietnam. Offering a poignant account of the terrifying journey faced by refugees, desperate for sanctuary and a safe life, this is a very powerful, moving picture book, one which is much better suited to sharing with older, rather than younger, children.

Peppered with figurative language, the text follows the family’s traumatic journey across the sea, sharing the horrors of this experience through the eyes of a small child. One of ‘The Lucky Ones’ who survived, she is still haunted by nightmares of her experiences. Yet, ultimately, the story shines a beacon of hope. The family are shown settled in a new home, ‘a cat’s whisker’ from her new school.

Matching the powerful text are the incredible illustrations which are sure to inspire discussions and raise questions. The opening spread shows a beautiful, ‘wide screen’ scene, with an ‘ordinary’ family, happily going about their everyday lives. However, the next picture zooms in, allowing the reader to notice different things. Furtive behaviours and worried expressions tell a very different story, creating a sense of tension. As the family flees, the images become darker as the little family board an overcrowded wooden boat and head out to sea and face the perils of the sinking boat. The nightmare scenes are particularly emotive. Swirling blank figures - those who weren’t so lucky- circle the girl’s bed in inky blackness. She falls ‘into the endless sea’ and unlike the others, lands on the safety of her bed. Each picture in this stunning book is worthy of comment…

An essential addition to books which share the experiences of refugees and develop empathy and understanding for their plight, ‘The Endless Sea’ allows readers to share the positive outcome for this family whilst remembering those who did not survive.

The Endless Sea

Chi Thai, illustrated by Linh Dao

Walker Studio ISBN: 978-1529516487

Paradise Sands

Washed clean in his pool, we fall under his rule
Away from what is, for we are now his.

A young girl and her brothers set off on a car journey through a desolate desert to visit their mother. On the way, they stop to pick flowers for her and, spotting a mysterious building, head towards it in search of a drink. Deaf to their sister’s words of caution, the brothers fall under the spell of the place, leaving their sister to rescue them.

I almost don’t know where to start with this one! I have long had deep admiration for the genius of Levi Pinfold as both storyteller and artist, but ‘Paradise Sands’ is just incredible. It is a mesmerising tale which leaves the reader full of questions and returning to each spread again and again to dwell on the stunning illustrations, searching for clues, finding answers- and promptly questioning them and pondering again.

The book begins with a rhyme about Teller’s Hollow before the reader is shown three boys in a car, waiting for a girl to close the door of a house and join them. During the car journey, the siblings decide to take their mother flowers and Bill, who is driving, recalls the rhyme. This is the start of their adventure as the brothers drink deeply from a spring outside the strange house they find, enter the building and are tempted to eat what they discover and find themselves trapped. Their sister must save them and she does- but at what future cost?

At every step of the story, there is much to absorb and spark discussion, making it a perfect text for exploring with a class. In the hands of the right teacher, top quality responses in drama, reading and writing would be guaranteed in response to exploring this book which is sure to spark imagination and wonder. The artwork is stunning - again, there is much to learn from and talk about here.

I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

Paradise Sands Levi Pinfold

Walker Studio ISBN: 978-1406383942