From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—A deceptively simple, nearly wordless tale of friendship and sharing. The story begins on the endpapers, where a boy throws a beach ball and it floats out to sea. The next page has only the words "what if…?" and shows two sea lions playing with it until it rolls onto the beach. One sea lion goes ashore ("And what if…?"), where a third sea lion joins in ("Then what if...?"), leaving the first one alone and sad. Next comes a page with the word "or," and this time the second sea lion brings it back to the first, leaving the third one out. In the third "what if," the sea lion out to sea comes ashore to join the other two, and the three play together, and then head off, leaving the ball in the sand. Seeger's grasp of children's concerns and ability to visually tell a full story with minimal words is masterful here. She captures the complexity of friendship and sharing in a way that will speak to kids and invite discussion. The illustrations are saturated with color. The sea lions are depicted with minimal lines, yet still imbued with personality. The artist marries the charm of her "Dog and Bear" books with the thick color washes of
First the Egg (2007, all Roaring Brook) to create something new and yet familiar. This book is perfect for parents and teachers looking for books on interpersonal relationships, or just a great book to share.—
Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Thirty seconds is all you’ll need to read this stirring offering, but it will take exponentially longer to fully appreciate. The text “What if . . .?” introduces a brown seal and a gray seal playing in the water until their beach ball bounces onto the sand. “And what if . . .?” accompanies the gray seal meeting a purple seal on the beach. “Then what if . . .?” leads to the two new friends playing with the ball. “But then . . .” reveals the deserted brown seal, looking indescribably sad in the water. Well aware that this is far too weepy of an ending, Seeger then tells the story a second time (the purple seal is left all alone), and finally a third time (all three play together). It’s simplicity itself, but the emotions are exactingly executed by careful placement of characters upon the page and the slightest hints of emotions. It’s the work of an artist who never overplays her hand, and the brushstrokes and possibly even finger strokes evident in the colorful paint give it an even deeper sense of intimacy. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Daniel Kraus
