The Sailor and the Sea Witch

Rating:
Summary: Many a Fun Night Will Be Spent Reading This Aloud!
Review: "'Best beware, lad,' he said. 'There is a sea witch known to prowl these waters. Many a man has been swept away on nights like this one.'"

Indeed! Read this sumptuous seafaring book with a briny pirate's accent and you and your child will be similarly swept away. Preston McClear and Nicholas Dollak's exotic tale of bravery, danger, love, and mystery is told with bravado and panache. The book is perhaps best read aloud: There's an element of parody here that's captured best by the spoken word. (For example, the phrases "many a sailor," "many a man," and "many an adventure" all appear within the first six pages. At first, this repetition seemed like an oversight, later I realized what fun these phrases contain when read aloud.)

The setting moves from ship to deserted island to trading port with several interesting plot turns. Nicholas Dollak's illustrations are tremendous: Luminescent, dreamy, and vibrant. These are some of the best illustrations I've seen recently (he and Yuyi Morales are among my favorite new illustrators). Dollak's palette and imagination suffuse the book with a fitting magical realism.

The book is 34 pages long, and includes several full-page illustrations. There is an additional 4 page "featurette" called "How We Make a Book," Dollak's account of Malibu Books' history. As always, the company uses high quality paper that is a pleasure to handle and view. Very highly recommended. (Their other works include "The Boy under the Bed," and my personal favorite, "Frannie and Pickles." I look forward to more books from this team.)

Rating:
Summary: Mystically Brilliant!
Review: In this beautifully illustrated book, Preston McClear takes the reader on an enchanting tale. McClear's imagery is playful and unique! Nicholas Dollak's art is mystically brilliant!

The Sailor and the Sea Witch is a romantically haunting tale; one of a feared Sea Witch who becomes captivated by a lonely sailor's seafaring journey and the comforting sound of his flute.

*This story's premise, being a romantic tale, seems appropriate for the maturing reader, age 8 and older.

A Kids Can Click Review

Rating:
Summary: If you love Fairy Tales or Mermaids, this is for you.
Review: Okay, so it's not technically about a mermaid but the Sea Witch does live in the ocean and that's close enough for the mermaid lovers in this house. A lovely and uncontrived 'happily ever after' that you'll find yourself reading again and again... with or without the kids :-)
(Worth buying just for a good look at the picture of the dancing waves! Have seriously thought of buying a second copy, just so I could remove and frame that outstanding illustration!)