Customer Reviews

The Sign of the Seahorse: A Tale of Greed and High Adventure in Two Acts

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I was young my mother was a pre-school teacher so we always had a lot of children's books, but The Sign of The Seahorse was always one of my favorites.

When too young to appreciate the long and somewhat advanced details of the story, I still loved it for the sing-songy sound of the verse, the wonderfully intricate and often personified illustrations, and best of all: searching the jampacket pages for the tiny sign of the seahorse hidden on each page (which I'm surprised no one has metioned yet!). As I got older and was able to read and better understand the story itself I loved it even more for that. It's the kind of book that a child can appreciate more and more as he/she grows, even if it isn't all appreciated initially.

I'm half-way through college now and I still love this book, and look at it every time I go home and see it sitting on the coffee table with the other Graeme books. I'll definately have this for my kids when I have some.

'Sign Of The Seahorse' is a rich, imaginative, book that can be loved by small and enjoyed by adults.

The story line is really interesting because although we are reading about fish and creatures that live in the sea, it pertains to the types of situations one lives and reads about on a daily basis.

It is very easy to feel sympathy for the main charaters and dislike the 'bad guys'. Each charater has such personality and charm in their own way. The way in which the central charaters overcame their problems was diplomatic and handled very nicely, for a bunch of fishy charaters. Not too much fighting or nastiness.

The illustrations get 5 stars too. Rarely will one see the attention to detail, complex drawings and beautiful colours as are illustrated in Graeme Base books.

There is usually a hidden meaning, specific charater or other very interesting thing about each of his books. It makes you want to go back time after time.

Other books by Graeme Base well as Sign Of The Seahorse are Anamaila, and The Eleventh Hour. Each book is equally as good as the other.

We have had Graeme Base books for about 10 years, we still enjoy reading them and finding new 'somethings' we somehow missed before.

I highly reccomend any of his books from newborn to Grandparents.

This book is a wonderful addition to any classroom grades 2-8. The language is rich and colorful. The story is very detailed and offers great discussions among the children. This is a MUST have for parents and teachers.

I must say, "The Sign of the Sea Horse: A Tale of Greed and High Adventure in Two Acts."(Picture Puffin) has got to be one of the most enjoyble stories I have had the pleasure of reading to my two children. Heck, even if I didn't have kids I would still enjoy this book. We have borrowed this book from the library so many times you could probably get a DNA profile of my family. We have decided to buy this book and I know we will enjoy it for many years. The story of Pearl Trout, her brother Finneus, Their Father, Pearl's Soldier crab boyfriend Bert, bad guy Gropmund Grouper and the rest is a timeless tale of greed, deceit, larceny and of course, bravery in the highest form. And the fact that the story is told in verse is absolutely inspired. In this way it makes the reading fun and sparks the imagination of the reader and even listeners. Many is the time that I have used "voices" to personalize each character. Pearl and Bert (Nell and Dudley Do-Right), Finneus (affable Irish rogue), Gropmumd (tough, gangster type). Even the Moray Eel that is ready to make Pearl his snack (smooth talking villian). My youngest son is 12 years but has the mental capacity of a 5 year old and he loves this story. It keeps him enthralled and brings out the happiness and laughter that only a child can exude. He knows each character and listens intently to the story everytime. If I try to stray even slightly from the written line he brings me back on track and tells me what I should be saying. And the artwork on each page is awesome. He loves to look at these pictures and point out each character and the surrounding scene. Many is the time we have found something we didn't see before.I am grateful to this book and it's author Graeme Base for giving me an opportunity such as this to help expand my son's capabilities. The story of the barrels of poison that mysteriously appear in the reef and does it's horrific damage to that ecosystem is one in which we all need to learn from as it teaches us that when we throw something out of our eco-area we are probably helping to destroy another species area and it is not always possibly for them to find a new home as the characters in this story did. Thank you again and good reading to you all.

I have to start off with that this book brings sentimental values to me. The Sign of the Seahorse, was read to me while I was recovering from brain surgery in the hospital when I was Nineteen. I am now twenty seven and I re-read it every year. The story will never get old. I have been a huge fan of Gramham Base for many years and have collected all his books. Each book is very special and different. I hope to one day share these with my children.

We started reading The Sign of the Seahorse when my son was 6. He is now 10 and it remains his favorite book ever. In fact, the rhymes have launched my son into reading other poetry and making his own. The story is totally in rhyme and starts with a bit of mystery. The dialog takes you through unraveling this mystery and ends with an almost fairytale ending with a hero and a bit of romance. The illustrations have wonderful details, and every time we read the book we see something new. We have bought every one of Graeme Base's books, and they are all very good and hit various age groups, but The Sign of the Seahorse is a work of art in both picture and word.

Postscript - Another 2 years have traveled since I wrote the above review and this book has evolved from being my son's favorite books to being one of his 'treasures' that we can never give away! Although it is now under my son's reading level - the book is still fantastic to review from time to time. Graeme Base you are to be congratulated.

This book is superb! The story, illustrations and atmosphere is like you have found a old buried treasure! Its magical, beautiful, mystical, and environmental. Its a lot going on in this book, especially the environmental message behind it. It took me at least 10 minutes on EACH page to look at the beautiful illustrations. Its a large book, which enables you to see everything! I can't say enough. If you like the sea, even mermaids and fantasy you will like this book very much!!

My 6 year old and I both loved this book. Not only are the illustrations lovely to look at, but the story is enjoyable on both a child's and adult's level. Some of the content (and big words) were beyond my son, but he enjoyed the story generally. It was easy to read aloud, and the rhymes were clever. All in all, worth a read, and even worth it just for the illustrations.

I discovered Sign of the Seahorse in college and immediately fell in love with its characters and AMAZING illustrations. The most imaginative details have been painted to create this magical underwater wonderland. The story is full of adventure, love, crime, conflict and perseverance. ALl told in the most rhythmic of verse. Now, I get to enjoy telling this Hgh-Adventure tale to my two daughters of only 4 and 2 years. They love it. They too fell in love with Finneaus and Pearl. 2 Fins Up!

Excellent book...magnificent illustrations! Excellent story but a little too lengthy for a small child. Would recommend for children 5-10 years old.