Can You Hear the Sea?
By Judy Cumberbatch
Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books
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Sarah's grandpa gives her a magic shell. 'If you listen carefully, you'll hear the sea,' he says.
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Children's Book review
Sarah's grandpa gives her a magic shell. 'If you listen carefully, you'll hear the sea,' he says.
But every day that Sarah listens, she can only hear Grandma washing clothes, the market mammies haggling, monkeys chattering, plantains sizzling - never the sea.
When she next sees her Grandpa she is rather cross with him for telling her the shell is magic. But he makes her sit down quietly and really listen and before long the sounds of the sea come crashing over her.
This is a gentle, lovely story about taking time to notice what lies beyond the chaos of everyday life. Ken Wilson-Max's illustrations of Africa are infused with rich, Gauguin-like colours, making the book a joy to wander through over and over again.
Illustrator: Ken Wilson-Max
Reading age: 4+
Interest level: 2+
