Overview

When a tiny sea serpent tumbles from the bathtub faucet, a little girl finds an unexpected friend. As rainy day after rainy day passes, the two sing songs, take baths, and talk about the sea.
But little girls live on land, and a growing sea serpent needs wave upon wave of water.
Here's a story about the true meaning of friendship, perfect for children, parents, and anyone who has ever had second thoughts about...
See more details below
Sea Serpent and Me

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.86
BN.com price
(Save 42%)$17.00 List Price

More About This Book

Overview

When a tiny sea serpent tumbles from the bathtub faucet, a little girl finds an unexpected friend. As rainy day after rainy day passes, the two sing songs, take baths, and talk about the sea.
But little girls live on land, and a growing sea serpent needs wave upon wave of water.
Here's a story about the true meaning of friendship, perfect for children, parents, and anyone who has ever had second thoughts about growing up.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Ken and Sylvia Marantz
A tiny sea serpent drops out of the faucet as our young narrator climbs into her bathtub. They play happily together, and then she puts him in her fish tank. He tells her of his wild journey to her tub and how he misses his home in the sea. Bad weather prevents her from taking him back that day or the next. Meanwhile, he keeps growing, while singing and telling her of the wonders of the sea. She finally decides that, rain or no rain, she must take him to the shore before he gets too big to carry. There, they swim and float together. With regret, but realizing it is for the best, he says goodbye and she returns home, listening for his singing in the sound of the sea. Chien's acrylic and charcoal pencil illustrations are fluid, more suggestive of shapes than detailed and naturalistic. We feel the joy as the girl and serpent play together in the tub, and it seems we almost get wet from their splashing. We sense the growth, but are surprised at the double-page illustration of the serpent seeming to cover rooftops as he describes how big he may get. The scenes in the sea prepare us for the inevitable separation, as images of future interactions with sea creatures—even singing with a trio of whales—hint at a possible reunion. The jacket introduces our jaunty heroine and her friend, while the cover pictures her examining some of the imagined sea creatures of this charming fantasy. Reviewer: Ken and Sylvia Marantz
School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2- A child narrates her experiences with a friendly sea serpent in this quietly quirky book. The creature drops out of the bathtub faucet while the girl is bathing and the two immediately begin playing and splashing. She puts him in the aquarium next to her bed and, as they converse, she discovers how he ended up in her bathtub and that he longs to return to the sea. She is determined to take him back, but the next day it's too rainy to go out. After a few more days of precipitation, the serpent, who has grown too big for the tub, points out, "the rain isn't any wetter than the ocean," and they decide to make the trek. At the shore, the serpent is reluctant to leave his friend, but she gently assures him that his new adventures in the ocean will be spectacular. The lovely watercolor illustrations are lush with vivid blues and greens, and the bathtub and underwater scenes are full of movement and life. The impressionistic paintings allow readers to fill in details. The text flows well and highlights the strong bond between the child and the serpent, a bond that will hold even when they are oceans apart. A great choice for one-on-one sharing, and as a bedtime story.-Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN

Kirkus Reviews
This whimsical look at the friendship between a young female narrator and a fast-growing sea serpent will amuse young listeners while providing adult readers with the bittersweet opportunity to ponder the ways relationships grow and change. Smaller than the girl's arm, the sea serpent shows up unexpectedly one day in the bath. He quickly outgrows his tank, then the tub, all the while talking longingly of the sea "where manta rays swim like dancing blankets and there are . . . fish shaped like guitars." So the two go down to the seaside, where they romp and play. Although she's loath to give him up, she knows he'll be happiest in the sea, so she encourages him to strike out on his own. Slater's lyrical text is accompanied by Chien's delightfully watery paintings in blues and greens, filled with squiggles, bubbles and a childlike charm; shifts in perspective give readers and narrator alike a real sense of the serpent's ultimate immensity. Imaginative and engaging. (Picture book. 4-7)
From the Publisher
"Slater's lyrical text is accompanied by Chien's delightfully watery paintings in blues and greens...Imaginative and engaging." Kirkus 4/15/08

Kirkus Reviews

"Illustrator Catia Chien's vibrant watercolor paintings reflect author Dashka Slater's lyrical underwater world." The Seattle Times

"The artwork in acrylic and charcoal pencil is as lyrical and beguiling as the prose." San Jose Mercury News

"It's a sweet, fanciful story about an unlikely friendship that seems as deep and real as any human one." The San Francisco Chronicle

"The text flows well and highlights the strong bond between the child and the serpent, a bond that will hold even when they are oceans apart. A great choice for one-on-one sharing, and as a bedtime story." June 2008 School Library Journal

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780547528298
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 5/19/2008
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 40
  • Age range: 8 - 10 Years
  • File size: 30 MB
  • Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

Meet the Author

Dashka Slater loves swimming in the rain, singing seachanteys, and staying at the beach until after sunset. She lives in Oakland, California.

The award-winning illustrator Catia Chien draws inspiration from her childhood in Brazil, where she learned to climb trees, daydream, and make friends with neighborhood dogs, parrots, and cats. She lives in Santa Ana, California.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)