Customer Reviews

The Serpent Came to Gloucester

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It has been documented that in August of 1817 the residents of Gloucester, a small Massachusetts fishing village, saw a rather frightening sight - a gigantic sea serpent swimming off the coast. Evidently, these reports caused a bit of a stir as a number of people came to study this sea creature and others came in hopes of capturing it. All to no avail.

As told by M. T. Anderson in captivating rhyme this is the story of that serpent and of how the people in the village gradually almost became accustomed to their startling new neighbor. He begins with:

"It was on a day when the sun was bright,
When the limpets were thick on the rocks,
When the seagulls would squawk
And would talk and would fight
For the fish laid to dry on the docks."

Thus, Anderson is a bit of a Scherazade as he escorts readers through first the initial sighting by a young boy, next to the townspeople watching the serpent play in the water, and then to the men coming with weapons, singing "killing songs."

According to historical records, a Captain Rich came the closest by claiming to have harpooedn the creature but the serpent shook off the harpoon and swam away.

Bagram Iratoulline's illustrations are lovely, luminous, evoking the scenes of 19th century New England and the mysterious beauty of the ocean.

- Gail Cooke

Just what you hope for in a picture book! A beautifully illustrated tale told in mesmerizing rhythms that just beg to be read out loud. In the classic tradition of well-made books, the entire book--from concept to cover--is thoughtfully conceived and executed. All the pieces work together to create a memorable experience for readers young and old. The surprising fact that the story is based on historical events in Cape Ann, Massachusetts-revealed in an author's note at the back of the book-just adds to the wonder of it all. It's a keeper!

The rhyme scheme and the illustrations are instantly understandable to young people. The giant double-page pictures pull your eyeballs into the paper and put you into the village.

The next summer, when the men come to hunt the sea serpent, it is surprising how many of them wear eye patches -- I count five. And why would they lift the eye patch to see better?

Always with the lyrical descriptions of the sea -- mirroring the emotion of the story.

And... it happened in America in 1817. Cool.

As a person very concerned about the environment but also fiercely imaginative, I loved this book about a serpent eluding whalers and fishermen. But the scene at the end, where the father is describing how modern times have changed nature to the point where the boy will likely never see the serpent is all too real to me. I have sat with my son on my lap and been unable to finish reading the last phrase while contemplating what we've done to nature. The text is both beautiful and very sad to me. I don't know if my son would have naturally loved this story, he is not drawn to melancholy things. But I have read it to him so many times that it is now one of his favorites and something we both hold dear. As a writer and illustrator, I can only hope that publishers continue to have the courage to produce books of this caliber.

No one talks much about this book, but it is a hidden gem. The language is beautiful. The art work is beautiful. There is nothing not to love about this book. I bought this book because I could read it a thousand times and never get tired of reading it. A young boy tells the story of the serpent in the sea and the way his village responds to its appearance. Emotion is tangible as fear subsides into pride for the serpent and desire to protect. It ends up with a sweet depiction of a grandparent sharing the story and wishing that the grandchild on his lap could see this wonder.

"It came from the sea, from the lonely sea,
It came from the glittering sea."
In August of 1817, the people of Gloucester, Massachusetts, reported seeing a sea serpent playing in their harbor. Author M. T. Anderson researched original nineteenth-century accounts of the mystery creature before writing this poetic picture book narrated by a feisty fictional boy.
Rhymed text as rhythmic as a sea chantey impels the story forward. Gloucester residents quickly grow accustomed to the playful visitor's presence, and their initial fear changes to fascination and even fondness. After the creature disappears in autumn, winter seems long and lonely.
When the serpent returns the following spring, fishermen come from neighboring towns intent on killing the monster, but young readers will recognize that such a capricious creature could never be caught.
Bagram Ibatoulline's acrylic gouache paintings blend realism and wonder on every page. Luminous seascapes reflect the natural beauty and mythic mystery of the tale. A single painting of the village in winter, waiting in snowy stillness, offers arresting contrast to scenes of the leaping sea waves and lively serpent.
My daughter called it called it "a remarkable book, as a read-aloud or for independent young readers, that many can enjoy--whether or not they already have a love of the sea."

This beautiful picture book should be read aloud, even if you are reading it aloud to yourself, because the sea-shanty rhythm of the text adds a musical depth to this gorgeous and haunting narrative. I should have been too jaded to enjoy this--in the course of writing my own picture book on the Loch Ness monster, I read a bunch of sadly soggy sea serpent stories. But M. T. Anderson's contribution to the genre rises way above that waterline. The tale is plot-driven enough for younger children and monster afficionadoes, but also had emotional overtones that captivated even my older twin daughters.

This book was a great read and the illustrations were spectacular! Will be giving this as gifts for sure!

The book is about a serpent that came to Gloucester. Everybody is really scared and they're trying to hunt it down. When they were fishing they thought they saw it but they actually got a huge humongous trout. In the end it leaves and everybody is really sad because they liked seeing it jump around and have fun. It's the worst book in the whole world because it repeats all of the same words like sea and gloomy and dark, icy, terrible, and serpent. It won the Southerland awards and I didn't want it to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My whole class wanted for Leonardo the Terrible Monster to win, and it didn't, so the day wasn't too fun and a lot of other classes were bragging because they had all voted for The Serpent Came to Gloucester.