Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | CUMBERBATCH | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Sarah's grandfather gives her a seashell and promises that if she listens carefully, she will hear the sea inside. But Sarah is distracted by the bustling noise of her island community. Laundry flip-flaps in the wind, people haggle in the market, and plantains sizzle on the stove. Only when Grandpa helps her to really listen is the magic inside the shell unlocked. The special relationship between a child and her grandparents fills these pages with energy and imagination, while Ken Wilson-Max's colorful and energetic illustrations evoke all the sights and sounds of a West African village.
Author Notes
Judy Cumberbatch was brought up in Ghana. After a recent visit to that country, she was inspired to write this story. She lives in London, where she works as a translator and researcher.
Ken Wilson-Max is an award-winning illustrator and the creator of several picture books, including The Big Yellow Taxi , Tickle-Tickle , and Splash, Joshua, Splash! Born and raised in Zimbabwe, he now lives in London.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Exuberant colors and evocative text are a winning combination in this appealing story about a Ghanaian girl and her beloved grandfather. Before Grandpa leaves on a trip, he gives Sarah a beautiful shell and tells her that it is magic; if she holds it up to her ear, she will be able to hear the sounds of the sea. Her grandmother says, "Don't go believing all that nonsense," but Sarah doesn't listen because her grandpa "never, ever told a lie." As the story unfolds, day by day, for a week, the child becomes frustrated; she traverses her village holding the shell to her ear and hears the laundry "flip-flapping," "monkeys chattering, banana trees swish-swishing," "plantains sizzling, pepper stew sput-sputtering"-but never the sounds of the sea-until Grandpa returns. Radiant swaths of skillfully harmonized acrylic colors are accentuated by thick black lines, and spare yet expressive facial features glow from each page. One particularly striking scene shows Sarah and her grandpa sitting on a bench with their backs facing out: it is their postures that communicate the palpable tenderness of the moment. Large print, a reassuring narrative, and vibrant paintings make this book an excellent choice for storytime.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
One Saturday, a young West African named Sarah receives a conch shell from her grandpa. "If you listen carefully, you'll hear the sea," Grandpa promises. But whenever Sarah puts the shell to her ear, what she hears instead is the panoply of sounds that make up everyday life in her village. British author Cumberbatch's deceptively simple text bubbles with eloquence; she has a keen ear for the rhythms of a strong read-aloud. On Monday-laundry day-the shell seems to emit the sound of "water splashing, Grandma beating out the sheets, and the clothes flip-flapping in the wind." On Tuesday at the marketplace stalls, the sound coming out of the shell is, "Mr. Victor's sewing machine click-clacking, Mrs. Nansi's tongue yak-yakking." When Sarah meets up with Grandpa the following Saturday, she learns she must be very quiet and concentrate in order for the conch to make the sounds of the sea; sure enough, she hears "waves pounding, pebbles rattling, surf hissing, and the sea's huge roar on the wide seashore." Wilson-Max's acrylics make an ideal partner for the text: his bright colors, stripped-down characterizations, and thick black outlines may be spare, but they brim with a sophisticated sense of play. As Grandma bends over her wash load, for instance, her generous backside peeks out from a scrim-like sheet that billows in the wind; a few pages later, readers share the perspective of a monkey perched high in a palm tree as Sarah and Grandma walk down a dirt road below. Ages 3-7. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
If you listen carefully, you'll hear the sea,"" Sarah's grandpa tells her when he gives her a shell. But it's only when Sarah learns to block out the everyday noises of her West African village that she finally hears the shell's sounds. Simple, color-saturated illustrations are the attraction in this story of imagination. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A little girl's imagination is unlocked when she stops and truly listens, setting aside the ordinary and releasing the extraordinary. Before Sarah's grandpa leaves for town, he gives her a conch, telling her that if she listens carefully, she can hear the sea. Grandma says it's nonsense, but Grandpa is larger than life in Sarah's eyes, and she believes. Every day she listens to the shell, but she hears only the routine noises of her everyday life: the Reverend praying, clothes flapping, gossiping in the market and monkeys in the trees. At the end of the week, she goes to meet Grandpa, who has her close her eyes and really listen. In a font echoing the motion of the sea, Sarah finally hears "water crashing, waves pounding, pebbles rattling . . . " Wilson-Max's colorful acrylic artwork gives readers a window into a West African village. From the clothing and food, to the way washing and shopping are done, youngsters will be treated to a look at a different way of life. A beautiful tribute to intergenerational relationships, and a message to step out of the routine. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS. Rooted in the daily life of a contemporary West African village, this lively picture book will reach kids everywhere. Before Grandpa goes to town for the week, he gives Sarah a shell, telling her that if she listens carefully, she will hear the sea. Every day she puts the shell to her ear, but all she hears are the busy sounds around her: Grandma doing the washing by the river; people yak-yakking in the market; food sizzling and sput-sputtering at home. Then Grandpa returns, and as the child sits with him in the still space under a tree, the shell lets her hear the waves pounding on the shore. With their simple rhythm and occasional rhyme, the words are beautiful, and so are the double-page acrylic illustrations in Wilson-Max's signature style, their thick, black lines and bright colors vividly expressing the loving bond between the child and her grandfather, the lively community, the wonder of the shell, and the magic of quiet. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist