Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee [Paperback]

Chris Van Dusen (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

With enough lunch for three, Mr. Magee and his dog Dee head out to the sea. But what begins as a fun day in the sun turns a bit bumpy when onel playful whale decides to say hello. Soon the crew that once was floating finds themselves flying! How will they get down? Who will come to their rescue? And when will they ever get to eat lunch? Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee is a great read-aloud, sure to provide fits of giggles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A chrome kitchen table, a buttercream-yellow Studebaker and other campy 1950s accessories distinguish this ebullient picture book. At daybreak, Mr. Magee, sporting a spiffy straw boater, and his black-and-white beagle, Dee, pack a picnic basket and drive to the seaside. They hop into their red-and-silver motorboat and putter across a hyper-blue ocean, past rocky islands that suggest the Maine coastline. As they admire a pod of whales in the distance, a stray baby whale grows curious. "From under the sea the little whale spied/ Magee and Dee's boat--but not them inside./ He longed for adventure. He wanted to play./ So he bumped at the boat in a most friendly way." Van Dusen (illus. of Silas, the Bookstore Cat) radically shifts perspective from spread to spread. Readers get a bird's-eye view of the boat with the immense whale below it, a lobster's-eye view of the whale beneath the tiny boat and a breathtaking close-up of Magee and Dee, who are airborne when the whale spouts a plume of water. The narrative bounces along on merrily measured meter, which maintains a lighthearted mood as the other whales get Magee and Dee out of trouble. The story ends at nightfall, with the sailors back on dry land. Van Dusen's exacting verse and kitschy, perfectionistic gouaches make this one whale of a tale. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Mr. Magee and his dog Dee set out in their boat for a calm day on the water. While they admire a pod of whales, a stray comes up from underneath their boat and gives a big blow. The boat goes flying through the air and lands in a tree. Eventually, the whales come to their rescue and Mr. Magee and Dee return safely home after their crazy adventure. The momentum of the story is fast, and the rhyming text is sure to delight children. The gouache cartoons have a nostalgic '50s look and are bright, comical, and alive with color and detail. Each double-page spread offers a new perspective on the action. A strong debut for Van Dusen.
Hennie Vaandrager, Byron Township Library, Byron Center, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811852253
• ISBN-13: 978-0811852258
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Marine Life > Fiction
  • #25 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Marine Life

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Book!, July 1, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Hardcover)

You'll be amazed at just how vivid and bright van Dusen's pictures look in this unexpected treat. The colors seem to jump off the page. Add that to some super-detailed work (especially his splashes of water), multiple perspectives, and purposive lack of shading, and you have a kind of magical realism that recalls the best of Pixar animation. Yet van Dusen paradoxically evokes a decidedly 50's retro setting and style in his neon-bright gouache illustrations.

This is a fun all-rhyming story that quickly engages the reader. Mr. Magee and his dog Dee decide to go to the sea. Soon,

"they suddenly spied off the bow to the east
A big pod of whales (there were fifty at least!)"

When a "little whale" (it's huge) playfully blows them 50 feet up in the air with a blast of water, the boat lands on the top of a huge tree. Their surprising rescue takes the book to its happy conclusion.

Van Dusen's uniquely bold colors and old-fashioned sensibilities combine wonderfully, and the rhyming story flows smoothly with its enthralling pictures and subtle wit. A great book for elementary school age kids (and anyone else, really) to look at and read aloud; I recommend it very highly!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real genius, February 25, 2000

By 

Amy Rawe (brooklin, maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Hardcover)

Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee is brilliantly fun. The story brought me back to my days of chanting Dr. Seuss lines, and the expressions--from Magee's surprised face to the squawking seagulls--made me laugh out loud. The retro yellows and rich sea blues make me want to climb into the illustrations, but the real genius of the book is the variety of perspectives. On one page, you're taken under water for a whale's eye view; on another you're high up on top of a spruce tree, looking down on the islands...

"Then the whale blew a blast as hard as he could

(Much harder in fact, than a little whale should)

And that final blast blew the boat up in the sky

First thirty, then forty, then fifty feet high."

I love this beautiful book of adventure, and I'm buying it for every kid I know. Heck, for adults too...and I'll be eagerly watching for Chris Van Dusen's next work of art.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely entertaining... destined to be a classic!, September 14, 2004

By 

A. Fischer - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Hardcover)

Both of Chris Van Dusen's Mr Magee books are incredible, engrossing, beautifully illustrated (and wacky) tales. No kid I know can put them down. My nephew asked to have it read 10 times a day the first week he got it!

The story is about a retro guy and his dog that go out boating for the day and end up stuck in a tree. They are rescued by whales. While full of drama and adventure both stories end in a relaxing shared meal ;)