The Wide, Wide Sea

In The Wide, Wide Sea, a grandmother takes her grandchild to the beach. There they discover all sorts of treasures: pebbles, limpets, periwinkles and whelks, to name a few. Suddenly, a seal appears in the water, and the child goes on an imaginary journey under the water with this newfound friend. Later, as the child and grandmother leave the shore, a fierce storm blows in. The next day, the two find that the seal is gone, but the beach is covered in trash. Although they didn’t create the mess, the child, the grandmother, and others cleared the debris from the seal’s home. Just as they finish, the seal appears once more and nods at the child before returning to the sea.
This book brings together many positive elements: a grandmother and child bonding, the joy of discovering flora and fauna at the shore, a fanciful underwater journey with a seal, the subtle message that the world is home to creatures beyond humans, and the empowering message that everyone can make a difference. This book is the perfect read before a day at the beach.