NOAH'S SEAL

A day at the beach with Nana becomes an adventure when seals are involved.

Noah has spent several days at the seaside with his grandmother. While Nana works on fixing up their boat, Noah waits eagerly for the day when they can go out for a sail and see the seals. On this day, Noah is playing in the sand and notices that the pile of sand he has made looks an awful lot like a seal. After adding stones and seaweed to make spots and a face, he is quite pleased with his new friend. But a storm comes, and he and Nana must hide in the boat until it passes. Noah is saddened to find his friend gone when the storm passes. The boat is fixed, but it’s time to go home. Unless…what’s that out in the water? A friend beckoning them to sail today? 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.