The Tide (Single Titles) - Hardcover

Pollard, Nik

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761315365 ISBN 13: 9780761315360

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2002

Synopsis

The ebb and flow of the tide give shape to this striking picture book about the seashore. The tide goes out and tide pools and beach come to life; the tide returns and they're covered, waiting for the cycle to being again. With bold, striking art, a simple, elegant structure, and repetition of sounds and images, The Tide is accessible to the youngest child. A perfect choice for summer!

About this title

About the Author

Nik Pollard lives near London, England, and is also the author of The River

Reviews

reSchool-Grade 1-The many sights and sounds of the ocean can be experienced through this vibrantly colored concept book about the rising and falling of the tide. A red fishing boat pulls out of the harbor, "chug, chug, chug." Readers also see a yellow-slickered clam digger, seagulls, geese flying, bird-watchers on the shore, and crabs in small tidal pools. The alliterative text curves and swoops across the pages like rolling waves, following the rhythm of the sea as the tide ebbs and flows. As the gurgling water starts to gush with the returning tide, the shore birds scatter, and the clam digger leaves the beach with his shellfish. The lighthouse beams the way for the fishing boat to return on the high tide. High-quality graphics on each spread, and brilliant blues and whites that contrast with the bold red and yellow, make this a visually appealing book for storytimes. Combine it with Debra Frasier's Out of the Ocean (Harcourt, 1998) for a great "beach day" program.
Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

A dizzying maelstrom of visual stimuli detracts from this exploration of tides. British newcomer Pollard chronicles a day at the beach, dramatizing how everything takes its cue from the sea: "Chug, chug, chug. A fishing boat slips from the harbor, chugging out to sea on the high tide." The boat, the hungry seagulls that follow it, the clam digger on the beach all depend upon the sea's rhythms. Oddly, though, this story of ebb and flow has little of its own. A torrent of unvaryingly bright color and wavering lines (that cumulatively simulate the effect of being off-register) muddle the artwork and may leave readers wondering where to look first. One spread, for instance, focuses on "crabs and starfish [that] hide quietly in still rock pools," but visually, there is no focus. The brown rocks, blue water and black gulls receive equal weight in color and prominence; nothing stands out. Although conceptually intriguing, the story suffers from too much repetition: "Trudge, trudge, trudge. A colorful clam digger trudges past. Pushes his bicycle onto the beach. Bustling birds stand on the sand waiting for the tide to drop. Trudge, trudge, trudge." The complexity of the compositions ultimately undermines the simplicity and repetition of the language. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0761315365
• ISBN 13: 9780761315360
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Pollard Nik
• Number of pages: 32