Ocean Meets Sky

From the duo who created The Night Gardner comes an equally elegant and poignant picture book that tackles bereavement and memories. Like The Night Gardner, the book has a other-worldly feel to it, this time taking shape through the dream world of a little boy whose grandfather, we learn, has died. 'Finn remembered Grandpa's voice. Telling him stories about a place far away where ocean meets sky.' We see the Grandpa's study, the empty chair, and notice images and carvings of boats, balloons and whales; all of which resurface in the following pages. To honour has Grandpa's memory, Finn builds a boat 'fit for a long journey' - one they had planned together - but falls asleep. When he awakes, the journey has begun and the boat sails through cloudscapes of whales and elephants and other amazing seascapes in the company of a great, golden fish, to the place 'where ocean meets sky'; a place of giant whales, ships and airships, and a place where Finn can say goodbye to his beloved Grandpa. This is a gentle, dreamy book that can be used to encourage children to share their memories of people they love and what helps them to remember them. It is also a visual treat, there is so much to explore in the images - the mix of land and sea, shaped by the boy's memories of his grandfather and what he loved, the gradual shifts in colour from sepia tones to the full, brilliant colours of the dream world, from the tiny details of Finn's memories to the vast landscapes of the dream world. This would be a lovely book to use when talking about families and the special people in our lives, as well as a creative and visually compelling story to explore dream worlds and journeys. Picture book Ages 5+ Reviewed by Carmen Smyth.

Suggested Reading Age 5+