Sea Horse, run! - Softcover

Tammy Carter Bronson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0967816785 ISBN 13: 9780967816784

Publisher: Bookaroos Publishing, Inc., 2011

Synopsis

Brave Sea Horse defends his helpless friend, Coral, from an approaching sea dragon. A vibrant panorama at the back of the book teaches children to identify sea creatures, and fun facts inspire an appreciation for sea horses and their delicate relatives: leafy, weedy, and ribboned sea dragons.

Winner of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Best Children's Picture Book. A finalist in the picture book hardcover fiction category of the USA Best Books 2011 Awards sponsored by USA Book News. Second place winner in the Children Early Reader (6-8 years) category of the 2011 Reader Views Literary Awards.

About this title

About the Author:

Tammy Carter Bronson is the author and illustrator of three previous picture books for children: Tiny Snail (2000), The Kaleidonotes and the Mixed-Up Orchestra (2001), and Polliwog (2004). The award-winning Sea Horse, run! is her fourth picture book.

Review:

Sea Horse, run! is a delightful depiction of underwater life that will educate and bring joy to young readers. Tammy Carter Bronson, author and illustrator, tells a story about sea creatures that dwell in the Australian Coral Reef. In each scene Bronson weaves a dreamy, watery atmosphere with simple lessons of this mysterious world. Her vibrant artwork details the ocean reef covered with live coral and the other animals that float and swim around it. Giving speech and emotions to the creatures of the deep, the writer teaches young people about courage and friendship. Sea Horse and Coral are two friends observing other sea life floating or darting by. Coral who sings, thereby giving a double allusion to her name, helps Sea Horse disguise himself as he takes on her varying colors. 'When Coral was red, Sea Horse looked red. When Coral was yellow, Sea Horse turned yellow. When Sea Horse was not with Coral, he was blue like the sea.' Danger! Sea Horse notices a shark veering too close. Coral sings, 'Sea Horse, run far, far away.' But Sea Horse is brave; he hugs Coral and asks Shark why he is fleeing. He finds out that Shark is afraid of a Sea Dragon. Other animals pass by: a moray eel and an octopus, but Sea Horse will not run away. He will not abandon Coral and so he watches and waits. When he offers to help Seaweed hide from the dragon, he discovers that Seaweed is the dragon and not at all monstrous and terrible. With dry-brush techniques using watercolor and colored pencil, then a cut-and-paste into her computer, Bronson brings her images together in brilliant collages. She tells a pure story of fantasy by using a small amount of words to appeal to young minds, similar to Dr. Seuss' objective in The Cat in the Hat. Her research in libraries and aquariums across the country provides a sense of authority to the work. The back of the book contains a wealth of information about the appearance, habits, and life cycles of sea horses; maps that indicate locations of coral reefs, Leafy Sea Dragons, and other animals in the Australian Coral Reef. Children from three to eight will treasure this book- one to remember among favorites. --Foreword Review, March 2011

Sea Horse, run! is first and foremost a fun story about two unlikely friends. The young reader will learn about the importance of standing by a friend in trouble. The story will also teach the reader why a person should never accept as truth what others say without investigating it for yourself. This tale encourages youngsters to think for themselves. But the story is not just an enjoyable tale about friendship and the dangers of the ocean; wrapped into it are lessons about the sea and the creatures who live there. For instance, we learn that sea horses can change color to match their surroundings and that the coral covering the oceans' reefs are alive.

At the back of the book are several pages of additional material, including facts on sea horses, sea dragons and coral. There is also a lovely two-page spread of the animals of the Australian coral reef, each marked with their common name. The illustrations do bear mentioning too, as they are bright, cheerful and detailed and mesh wonderfully with the story. The eyes of the animals were particularly expressive and gave Sea Horse and his friends personalities that jumped from the pages.

An engaging, and educational, story about friendship and courage. --Feathered Quill Book Reviews, May 2011

In a tender underwater story about valor, false perceptions, and belonging, a sea dragon is rumored to be approaching the coral reef, and a shark, eel, and octopus flee, advising Sea Horse to do the same ('Sea Horse, run far, far away'). Sea Horse, though, refuses to abandon his friend, Coral (the reef): 'I can swim away, but you cannot. I will protect you, Coral. I will save you from the dragon!' --Publisher's Weekly, 7/11/2011

Sea Horse, run! is first and foremost a fun story about two unlikely friends. The young reader will learn about the importance of standing by a friend in trouble. The story will also teach the reader why a person should never accept as truth what others say without investigating it for yourself. This tale encourages youngsters to think for themselves. But the story is not just an enjoyable tale about friendship and the dangers of the ocean; wrapped into it are lessons about the sea and the creatures who live there. For instance, we learn that sea horses can change color to match their surroundings and that the coral covering the oceans' reefs are alive.

At the back of the book are several pages of additional material, including facts on sea horses, sea dragons and coral. There is also a lovely two-page spread of the animals of the Australian coral reef, each marked with their common name. The illustrations do bear mentioning too, as they are bright, cheerful and detailed and mesh wonderfully with the story. The eyes of the animals were particularly expressive and gave Sea Horse and his friends personalities that jumped from the pages.

An engaging, and educational, story about friendship and courage. --Feathered Quill Book Reviews, May 2011

In a tender underwater story about valor, false perceptions, and belonging, a sea dragon is rumored to be approaching the coral reef, and a shark, eel, and octopus flee, advising Sea Horse to do the same ('Sea Horse, run far, far away'). Sea Horse, though, refuses to abandon his friend, Coral (the reef): 'I can swim away, but you cannot. I will protect you, Coral. I will save you from the dragon!' But when Sea Horse also tries to protect floating Seaweed, the creature asks, 'Have you ever met a plant with two eyes and a snout? Look closely. Are you sure I am a weed?' and Sea Horse discovers that sea dragons are not beasts with 'fifty rows of teeth,' but rather his own relatives. Though readers may be puzzled by the emphasis on running, given Sea Horse's lack of legs, Bronson's prose can be lyrical ('When Sea Horse was not with Coral, he was blue like the sea'). The underwater creatures in Bronson's mixed-media collages vacillate between cutesy and naturalistic, but Sea Horse's personality ought to win over readers. Ages 3-10. --Publisher's Weekly, 7/11/2011

About this edition

• Publisher: Bookaroos Publishing, Inc.
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0967816785
• ISBN 13: 9780967816784
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Tammy Carter Bronson