The Sea-Thing Child - Softcover

Russell Hoban

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0744578264 ISBN 13: 9780744578263

Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks, 2000

Synopsis

One stormy night the sea-thing child, a draggled heap of scales and feathers, is flung up on the beach. Afraid of the wild waves and the storm skies, he meets a fiddler crab with no bow and together they avoid facing their fears. Finally, though, he finds his star, his courage and his ocean self.

About this title

About the Author

Russell Hoban is the renowned author of many famous novels, including Turtle Diary and Riddley Walker, which won the John W. Campbell Award for science fiction. He has also written over 50 children's books, including such classics as The Mouse and His Child, Bedtime for Frances and The Sea-Thing Child. Born in Pennsylvania in 1925, he moved to London in 1969, where he lived until his death in 2011. I was born in 1956 in Rogate, Hampshire, the United Kingdom. I am the youngest of four children. I was educated at Eton College and studied art at the Studio of Nerina Simi in Florence, Chelsea School of Art, and St. Martins School of Art. I now live in the Scottish Borders with my partner and son. Since 1982 I have been working on children's books. I have illustrated numerous titles amongst which Owl Babies with Martin Waddell has been the most successful. I also was the illustrator for Roald Dahl's last published book, The Minpins. My first series of books, The Hob Stories, written by William Mayne, won the Mother Goose Award. My illustrations forThe Sea-Thing Child (written by Russell Hoban) won the Kurt Maschler award for illustration, and Mole And Baby Birdwon a Christopher award. Three Things You Might Not Know About Me: At first I worked in the fashion industry; then a chance meeting with Mirabel Cecil, the journalist and sister of children book publisher Sebastian Walker, opened the way for a career in illustration.I have traveled extensively, sometimes with a fishing rod in my hand. I enjoy anything to do with the countryside and have 26 acres: plenty of room for the 2 horses, 7 sheep, 2 dogs, 36 chickens, 2 guinea fowl, and a guinea pig named Bodger!

From Library Journal

Grade 1-4-First published in 1972 as a chapter book, this lengthy picture-book text is slightly abridged and attractively illustrated. A "sea-thing child" washes ashore on a pebbly beach, "a little draggled heap of fright." He builds an impenetrable igloo of sea stones around himself but eventually emerges to develop a cantankerous friendship with a fiddler crab. Becoming restless, the sea-thing child converses with an eel and an albatross, both of which confidently head out to sea, but the ocean remains an enemy to the storm-battered creature. Finally, the wisdom he's absorbed, the goading of his crab companion, and a restless night conspire to awaken his latent destiny and he flies into the wind and over the waves to discover "Whatever there is!" Each spread features large, bold print opposite full-page drawings that make the story accessible to young listeners. By abbreviating many descriptive passages and eliminating repetition, the pacing moves more swiftly than in the original, but a certain elegance and lyricism are lost. At times, the motivation behind characters' actions is less obvious and the brevity results in a more cryptic unfolding of plot. Sea and sand-toned watercolors enhance the hatched illustrations; the sea-thing child, left to the imagination in the original version, is portrayed as an endearing little auklike bird here. While younger children will be attracted to the new format, they may struggle to comprehend the subliminal drama. However, the story itself remains a timeless parable about self-fulfillment that is as pertinent today as when it was first published.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0744578264
• ISBN 13: 9780744578263
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40