Noah's Seal

Praise

This quiet, beautifully crafted gem of a book follows a boy who sits and waits ‘at the edge of the wild wide sea’ — ‘as he did yesterday and the day before that’ — for his Nana to fix their small boat. . . . What happens when a storm whips up and Noah must leave his seal is astonishing to behold.
—The New York Times Book Review

A day at the beach with Nana becomes an adventure when seals are involved. . . . With well-paced energy and a satisfying final spread, this sweet tale featuring a brown-skinned boy and his loving adult, a woman of color, turns a day at the beach into a magical experience. The fact that Noah and Nana have the beach all to themselves makes his imaginative play and intimacy with the natural world all the more potent. The textures and colors of the illustrations make each spread a delight to the eyes. Powerful in its sweet, childlike simplicity.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Place, action, and characters are closely observed in both the sensitive text and dynamic, dot-eyed human portrayals as soft washes of watercolor, paired with physical and digital collage, ground the natural setting. Noah’s wish is one that readers will share; watching as it is fulfilled in this sweet intergenerational narrative is a small, satisfying pleasure.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The watercolor in this UK import will take viewers right to the beach with its dreamy setting and detailed, textured waves of the ocean. This would make for a good readaloud to match the mood for a hot summer day, but the language is easy enough for older kids to try on their own.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books