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by Marie-Louise Gay
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by Marie-Louise Gay
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by Marie-Louise Gay
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by Marie-Louise Gay
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by Marie-Louise Gay
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Marie-Louise Gay's squat, snub-nosed children with their frenzied locks are as familiar to under-fives as the wild things of Maurice Sendak. In Stella, Star of the Sea (which won a Governor General's Award for illustration), the gifted picture-book artist introduces the irresistible duo of Sam and his spirited older sister, Stella. "Stella and Sam were spending a day at the sea shore," Gay begins this playful celebration of summer, adding, "It was Sam's very first time." Stella is an adventurer, eager to dive to the ocean floor, tame sea horses, and dig a hole to China, but her little brother, Sam, is made of more cautious stuff. When Stella, looking out at the sea from the top of a delightfully round sand dune, exclaims, "Isn't it beautiful, Sam?" he observes with a characteristic deadpan, "It's very big... and noisy."
Gay humorously contrasts the children's impressions of the sea in pictures and dialogue that capture Sam's experience of its frightening enormity, as well as Stella's joy in its secret treasures. To fend off the prospect of a swim, Sam keeps asking Stella anxious questions like "Does a sea horse gallop?" Stella's replies are as authoritative as they are imaginative: "'Yes!' cried Stella. 'And you can ride a sea horse bareback.'" Gay's whimsical watercolors show Stella swimming alongside tropical fish and holding onto the back of a child-sized pink sea horse, while Sam hangs behind, a tiny speck in a water ring on the distant shore. Ultimately, of course, Stella's irrepressible enthusiasm wins over Sam's sober hesitancy, and in the final image of this charming picture book the two of them float happily in a luminous blue green sea. (Baby to age 4) --Lisa Alward
From Publishers Weekly
Gay (Rumpelstiltskin) describes an indefatigably curious boy's first day at the beach with his indefatigably imaginative older sister. In answer to Sam's endless questions, Stella informs him that starfish were once shooting stars "who fell in love with the sea"; that a round shell is a shark eyeball; and that sea horses can be ridden bareback (the illustrations support this last claim). Enjoying the sea, Stella puts an end to Sam's questions with one of her own: "Sam! Are you ever coming in?" The cartoon figures, with childishly outsize heads and pear-shaped bodies, inhabit a deceptively harmonious mixed-media landscape. The diverse elementsAthe watercolor sea, the flecked-paper beach, the diffused skyAcome together to suggest an air of holiday abandon. This nonchalant slice-of-life tale with its sunny, eccentric illustrations makes for an enjoyable trip to the seashore. Ages 2-4.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Stella and Sam were spending a day at the seashore. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Stella and Sam were spending a day at the seashore. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
3
books
cite this book:
- The Sea (Exploring Play) by Sue Sheppy on page 15
- Sea Life Art & Activities: Creative Learning Experiences for 3- To 7-Year-Olds (Williamson Little Hands Series) by Judy Press on page 40
- For the Love of Reading: Books to Build Lifelong Readers by David Bouchard on page 72
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
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65% buy the item featured on this page: Stella, Star of the Sea $11.96 |
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11% buy When Stella Was Very, Very Small $11.53 |
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10% buy Stella, Queen of the Snow $10.85 |
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8% buy Stella, Princess of the Sky $10.85 |
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