See the Ocean [Hardcover]

Estelle Condra (Author), Linda Crockett-Blassingame (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Nellie loves her family's annual trip over the Black Mountains to their beach house. Every year her two brothers compete to see who will first see the ocean through the mountain passes. Illustrated in softly flowing colors, this is the story of a little girl who sees the beauty of the world, not with her eyes, but with her mind and her heart.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite an overwrought climax, this debut effort for author and artist manages to distill some truths about growing up blind. Nellie enjoys her family's annual trips to the ocean. She feeds crumbs to the seagulls, tosses pebbles into ponds, handles seashells and driftwood. There is no explicit reference to her blindness until the end, when she claims to be able to see the ocean through a thick mist. For three precocious paragraphs, she rhapsodizes: "The ocean is an old, old man born at the beginning of time.... When the sun shines, he laughs and gurgles and prattles in the rock pools...." One of her brothers complains about Nellie's report ("She can't even see!"), but their mother concludes: "Though your sister's eyes are blind, she can see with her mind." However ham-handed the dialogue, this title's tone of normalcy, its realistic family dynamics and its moody, streaky oil paintings may be enough to win over readers curious about life without sight. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A gentle story about a little girl and her family and their annual visits to the beach. It is there where Nellie plays in the water, learns to walk, and is told stories about the sea. Her brothers always have a contest to see who can see the water first, but not Nellie. Why? Readers discover the reason when one year it is very foggy and the boys cannot see the ocean, but Nellie announces that she can see it and describes it as a man with a white beard and feet made of shells. Their mother tells the boys that their blind sister can see with her mind. The story is beautifully done as well as nicely illustrated with oil paintings of the seaside and the family, always hiding Nellie's eyes with a hat. The little girl may seem overly romanticized, but her activities at the beach and her lovely description make up for it.
Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Eager Minds Press (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590930673
• ISBN-13: 978-1590930670
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,612,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story for children!, April 17, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Cookeville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See the Ocean (Hardcover)

I shared this story with my physically and mentally handicapped students. They loved it. I wish there were more stories like this that they could relate to. I told the students about the author and how that she is blind from the same eye disease (RP) that I have. It helped my students to understand what it is like to be visually impaired. I hope that Estelle continues to write more books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent details!, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: See the Ocean (Hardcover)

You can see Nellie's description as she is telling her familyabout the ocean. The details are so vivid and real. You actuallyfeel like you're at the ocean as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful pictures and deep feelings in a family., April 8, 2000

By 

Lucy Adams (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See the Ocean (Hardcover)

I love inter-action within a family and this is a wonderful way to express the childhood responses of siblings. The brothers think they are the only ones who can see, but the indepth sight of their little sister warms the heart. Hooray for Estelle Condra for helping us who are physically sighted to see in a deeper way. A very helpful book!