A Sea Of Stories
This charming story focuses on the relationship between Roo and Grandpa. Roo is spending some time with Grandpa. His cottage is cluttered with the bits-andpieces of a seafaring life. Grandpa is more than happy to fill Roo in on all the stories associated with them.
Roo’s mum says that Grandpa has brought the whole world into his cottage. Roo is disappointed that they can’t visit the cove, where most of his stories begin or end. He can no longer negotiate the path down to this magical place. And Roo realises that her mum was wrong. He can’t bring the cove to his cottage. As Grandpa tells his stories, Roo hears about the community surrounding her granddad. And she hatches a plan.
This is a lovely story about the power of love, family, community and storytelling. Roo is an intrepid female protagonist. Grandpa is an interesting and contented individual. The language is perfect for a child recently migrated to independent reading. That said, it would make a perfect read-aloud too. Donnelly’s bright, colourful textured images are interspersed with lively line drawings. The attractive illustrations move the storyline along wonderfully. Roo is a great role model for readers. A problem-solver, she is wise enough to elicit permission from her parents before embarking on her plan to improve life for Grandpa. In a classroom setting, this book could generate discussions about the concept of home, a life well lived, ageism, feminism, memory, the power of stories, the importance of supportive communities and much more.
