Swashby and the Sea

by Beth Ferry, Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)

Overview

★ "An exceptionally satisfying picture book." —Booklist (starred review)

★ "This readaloud is sweetly told as Swashby overcomes his bitter habits to welcome new, friendly, and energetic people into his quiet life." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

From New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry and Caldecott Honor winner Juana Martinez-Neal comes a sweet-and-salty friendship story perfect for pirate-lovers and emerging readers learning to embrace moments of change. This hilarious picture book will keep emerging readers laughing, and the message-related mishaps in the story create an opportunity for spelling and sounding out new words!

Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene.

One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY and take their ruckus with them.

When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544707375
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	85,482
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Beth Ferry is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous picture books, including Stick and Stone, The Scarecrow, and The Nice Dream Truck. She lives with her family by the beach in New Jersey, where she finds inspiration in the salty air.

Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor and was also published in a Spanish edition as Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre. Her second author-illustrator book, Zonia's Rain Forest, is available in a Spanish edition La selva de Zonia. Juana has also illustrated numerous picture books including La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, and Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won The Robert F. Sibert Medal. 
Website: juanamartinezneal.com
Instagram: @juanamartinezn
Twitter: @juanamartinez

Editorial Reviews

04/13/2020

Swashby, a bushy-bearded, red-nosed old salt, is ready to spend a reclusive retirement (“Salty/ and sandy/ and serene”) by his longtime friend, the sea. “She knew him in and out,/ up and down,/ and better than anyone,” writes Ferry (Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish). When a girl and her grandmother move in next door (“nosy,/ a nuisance,/ annoying”), he starts leaving stern warning messages in the sand. “NO TRESPASSING,” reads the first, “which the sea fiddled with, just a little bit,” turning it into “SING,” which the girl does with gusto. When the sea turns “PLEASE GO AWAY” into “PL—AY,” the child almost coaxes Swashby into being her playmate. But it takes the sea turning dangerous to fully open Swashby’s heart; he rescues the girl and embraces neighborliness, realizing that it can mean “fun,/ and friends,/ and... family.” Caldecott Honoree Martinez-Neal’s acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite drawings teeter between scenes curmudgeonly and sweet, underscoring the story’s tensions. A strong sense of place emerges from the palette, redolent of sunlit sand and sea glass, and the interplay between Swashby and his meddling sea has its magic. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"With charming and playful illustrations and diverse characters by Juana Martinez-Neal, and a snappy sweet narrative by Beth Ferry, this story moves our hearts and reminds us to stay open to new friends and ideas, and be present in life’s moments of adventure." —The Washington Post ★ "The illustrator of the Caldecott Honor–winning Alma and How She Got Her Name (2018), Martinez-Neal uses acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite to create pictures that capture the feel of the seaside, as well as the protagonist’s shifting emotions. Telling a story with imagination and wit, Ferry creates a cantankerous but lovable character in Captain Swashby and a mysterious, well-intentioned, mischievous one in the sea...an exceptionally satisfying picture book." —Booklist, STARRED review ★ "This readaloud is sweetly told as Swashby overcomes his bitter habits to welcome new, friendly, and energetic people into his quiet life....Martinez-Neal’s art captures the essence of the ocean.... Adults should prepare for a trip to the beach, as kids will want to go after hearing this." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED review "This sweet story of friendship is sure to win over even the grumpiest of listeners." —Kirkus "Caldecott Honoree Martinez-Neal’s acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite drawings teeter between scenes curmudgeonly and sweet, underscoring the story’s tensions. A strong sense of place emerges from the palette, redolent of sunlit sand and sea glass, and the interplay between Swashby and his meddling sea has its magic." —Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher

2020-01-21
Old Capt. Swashby’s peaceful seaside home is disturbed when a gregarious little girl and her granny move into the once-empty house next door.

The only neighbor Capt. Swashby has ever wanted was his old friend the sea, so when new neighbors began to take over the beach—and even Swashby’s deck—without permission, he leaves a message in the sand for the interlopers that reads, “NO TRESPASSING.” The sea “fiddle[s]” with Swashby’s message and washes away most of the letters, leaving the word “SING,” which the little girl does “while dancing up and down [along] Swashby’s deck.” It changes two other unwelcoming messages to invitations for the girl and her granny to “W_ISH” upon a starfish and “PL_AY” in the sand. Then, after building a sand castle (following Capt. Swashby’s grouchily delivered advice), the girl is washed out to sea—to be rescued by the old salt, beginning a wholehearted friendship. The feeling of place is solidified by Martinez-Neal’s use of color, which breathes the life into this story; the muted beige, blue, and turquoise palette is perfect for a beach tale. The cantankerous old coot is depicted as a white man with an enormous gray beard while the girl and her granny are depicted with brown skin, exuberant Afros, and enormous spectacles.

This sweet story of friendship is sure to win over even the grumpiest of listeners. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews