A Swim in the Sea

A Swim in the Sea by Sue Whiting, illustrated by Meredith Thomas (Walker Books)
HC RRP $27.95
ISBN 9781921150494
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

What a gifted author Sue Whiting is. Everything she creates has meaning and beauty, regardless of genre. In A Swim in the Sea the child Bruno is off on his first day at the beach. With repetition and alliteration, the sharp text shows his preparation, excitement, then trepidation and finally his joy at being at the beach. The words gain momentum then collapse in union with the waves they describe, and that are depicted in full force by the illustrator.

But the words would be just words without the outstanding full page illustrations created with acrylic paints by Meredith Thomas. She brings life to the text and the story the pictures tell, is more than what the author has written. There is no mention of the dog in the story, yet the dog is very much a part of the show. He is Bruno’s shadow and does what he does, feels what he feels, and makes the reader believe that the story is about him.

Here are two brilliant creators totally in sync with one another. Beautiful and stylish in every way, with a cover that speaks volumes about the contents, this book is a must for the 3+ age group and lovers of exceptional picture books.

Granny Grommet and Me

Granny Grommet and Me by Dianne Wolfer, illustrated by Karen Blair (Walker Books)
HB RRP $ 27.95
ISBN 9789121720161
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This fantastic book is about the value of older people and the things they can share with the younger generation. It is presented through a most delightful and entertaining story. The superlative illustrations by Karen Blair are in complete harmony with the text. They are created by using mixed media comprising of watercolour paintings on paper with chinagraph pencil and acrylic paint.

Four grannies go to the beach, one of them with her grandchild and dog. They are all grommets. They wear wetsuits and caps, and use sunscreen.  Before entering the water with their surf boards, they check for rips. They enjoy themselves in the sun and the surf.

Granny calls to the child to come in. But it is afraid of ‘strange things under the waves’. The child has a small board with which it plays at the water’s edge until something touches its leg. Then out it runs.

When the grommets are finished surfing, they all go to a rock pool. Granny explains that the sea is like a giant rock pool. They don their snorkels and masks and granny confesses to the child that she too was afraid till the other grannies showed her the beauty beneath the waves. The child agrees to lie on granny’s surf board and look through the mask at the glory to be found beneath the water. The child sees the amazing sea life and is enchanted.

There is a list of Granny Grommet’s Beach Tips at the end of the story.

Dianne Wolfer has fifteen books in print with more on the way. She is the author of wonderful books like Lighthorse Boy, the companion book to Lighthouse Girl which won the West Australian Young Reader’s Award, was the CBCA Notable book, and which was Shortlisted for two Premier’s Awards.