THE SEA SAW

Wonderful story, beautiful illustrations, n surprising the reader with its climax at the end which stands to be emotional too!

Very good book for lil ones

Used this for a 'children's moment for all'- in church

Oh wow, this book absolutely made me sob. It’s so wonderful. When my kid looses a toy now we can calm her down with remembering this story and how things are never truly gone ❤️

A little bit sad story in my opinion but the design is great.

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]

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.