The Sea Serpent and Me (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Catia Chien (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—A child narrates her experiences with a friendly sea serpent in this quietly quirky book. The creature drops out of the bathtub faucet while the girl is bathing and the two immediately begin playing and splashing. She puts him in the aquarium next to her bed and, as they converse, she discovers how he ended up in her bathtub and that he longs to return to the sea. She is determined to take him back, but the next day it's too rainy to go out. After a few more days of precipitation, the serpent, who has grown too big for the tub, points out, "the rain isn't any wetter than the ocean," and they decide to make the trek. At the shore, the serpent is reluctant to leave his friend, but she gently assures him that his new adventures in the ocean will be spectacular. The lovely watercolor illustrations are lush with vivid blues and greens, and the bathtub and underwater scenes are full of movement and life. The impressionistic paintings allow readers to fill in details. The text flows well and highlights the strong bond between the child and the serpent, a bond that will hold even when they are oceans apart. A great choice for one-on-one sharing, and as a bedtime story.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Slater's lyrical text is accompanied by Chien's delightfully watery paintings in blues and greens...Imaginative and engaging." Kirkus 4/15/08

Kirkus Reviews

"Illustrator Catia Chien's vibrant watercolor paintings reflect author Dashka Slater's lyrical underwater world." The Seattle Times

"The artwork in acrylic and charcoal pencil is as lyrical and beguiling as the prose." San Jose Mercury News

"It's a sweet, fanciful story about an unlikely friendship that seems as deep and real as any human one." The San Francisco Chronicle

"The text flows well and highlights the strong bond between the child and the serpent, a bond that will hold even when they are oceans apart. A great choice for one-on-one sharing, and as a bedtime story." June 2008 School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 19, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0618723943 ISBN-13: 978-0618723942 Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,806 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #35 in  Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Friendship > Nonfiction #38 in  Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish > Fiction #95 in  Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Dragons

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for my daughter, April 28, 2008 By  Phoebe Caulfield "Jess" (Darien, CT) - See all my reviews I couldn't believe it when I found this book. My four year-old daughter has always been fascinated by sea serpents, and I was so pleased to find that it is a little GIRL who finds the sea serpent in her bathtub. Not that I mind having her constantly relate to boy characters when it comes to her fascination with stories about sea serpents and dragons and dinosaurs, but it is so refreshing to finally see one about a girl. The story is lovely, and the illustrations are just beautiful. And no pink! Yippee! 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars illustrations are fabulous, August 2, 2008 By  Must Love Books "Sarah" - See all my reviews The story here is fun. A little girl discovers a sea serpent and the book follows her journey from raising it, to realizing she has to let it go, to the moment when they part. It's lovely and simple and sweet. Children really respond to the understated emotion of the text and the rhythm of the story. And the book's illustrations are spectacular. Catia Chien has such a unique style and such a sense of storytelling. Every page is bursting with energy, The underwater creatures (the sea serpent included) are full of imagination and whimsy. There are whales wearing bow ties, fish shaped like guitars and an octopus with a top hat. Every time I read this book I discover fantastical new creatures hiding in the depths. But my favorite page is a simple illustration of the girl and the sea serpent facing one another, alone beneath an arc of flying fish. The girl's arm reaches out, almost touching the serpent. The text reads: '"But what if I'm lonely?" my sea serpent asked.' It's a quite page, and the tone is subdued. Then the story picks up again, the whales in bow ties appear, and the girl and serpent finally part. The Sea Serpent and Me is truly a beautiful book from beginning to end and I highly recommend it for children and children at heart everywhere. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Sea Serpent, July 5, 2008 By  Shakespeare Lover - See all my reviews This is an absolutely wonderful book. It is a story about growing up, deep friendship and letting go. I read it to my 6 year old grandson and he and I were both completely delighted by the story. In fact, as the book came to its conclusion, my eyes welled up with tears. The illustrations are enchanting and the writing is simply perfect....I recommend it to every child, every parent and certainly every grandparent.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable A very sweet book for a girl or boy to read. We took it out from the library & feel in love with it so we had to buy it as a gift for a friend. Published 1 month ago by A & E's Mama 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, excellent illustrations This is a very sweet story of true friendship that is illustrated beautifully. We gave it as a gift. If my daughter were younger, we would have bought another copy. Read more Published 4 months ago by S. Spurlock 5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Book I fell in love with this book when I borrowed it from the library. I just had to get my own copy. My son is 3.5yrs old and he loves it too. Read more Published 8 months ago by S. James 5.0 out of 5 stars Sulky Sea Serpent Alright, to be fair, he is only sulky for a moment. A wee sea serpent lands in a little girl's tub and asks if she will bring him back to the sea. Read more Published 14 months ago by Curious City Kirsten Cappy Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618723943
• ISBN-13: 978-0618723942
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,806 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #35 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Friendship > Nonfiction
  #38 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish > Fiction
  #95 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Dragons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for my daughter, April 28, 2008

By	Phoebe Caulfield "Jess" (Darien, CT) - See all my reviews

I couldn't believe it when I found this book. My four year-old daughter has always been fascinated by sea serpents, and I was so pleased to find that it is a little GIRL who finds the sea serpent in her bathtub. Not that I mind having her constantly relate to boy characters when it comes to her fascination with stories about sea serpents and dragons and dinosaurs, but it is so refreshing to finally see one about a girl. The story is lovely, and the illustrations are just beautiful. And no pink! Yippee!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars illustrations are fabulous, August 2, 2008

By	Must Love Books "Sarah" - See all my reviews

The story here is fun. A little girl discovers a sea serpent and the book follows her journey from raising it, to realizing she has to let it go, to the moment when they part. It's lovely and simple and sweet. Children really respond to the understated emotion of the text and the rhythm of the story. And the book's illustrations are spectacular. Catia Chien has such a unique style and such a sense of storytelling. Every page is bursting with energy, The underwater creatures (the sea serpent included) are full of imagination and whimsy. There are whales wearing bow ties, fish shaped like guitars and an octopus with a top hat. Every time I read this book I discover fantastical new creatures hiding in the depths. But my favorite page is a simple illustration of the girl and the sea serpent facing one another, alone beneath an arc of flying fish. The girl's arm reaches out, almost touching the serpent. The text reads: '"But what if I'm lonely?" my sea serpent asked.' It's a quite page, and the tone is subdued. Then the story picks up again, the whales in bow ties appear, and the girl and serpent finally part. The Sea Serpent and Me is truly a beautiful book from beginning to end and I highly recommend it for children and children at heart everywhere.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Sea Serpent, July 5, 2008

By	Shakespeare Lover - See all my reviews

This is an absolutely wonderful book. It is a story about growing up, deep friendship and letting go. I read it to my 6 year old grandson and he and I were both completely delighted by the story. In fact, as the book came to its conclusion, my eyes welled up with tears.
The illustrations are enchanting and the writing is simply perfect....I recommend it to every child, every parent and certainly every grandparent.