Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, Juana Martinez-Neal
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 5, 2020
ISBN: 0544707370
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This is a sweet friendship story between a salty, loner sailor and a socially outgoing little girl who are brought together by the sea.  Swashby, the retired sailor, has his solitary existence interrupted when a little girl and her grandmother, sporting natural Afros and lots of positive energy, move in next door to his peaceful seaside abode.  He tries leaving messages like “No trespassing “in the sand but the sea always seems to remove a few letters turning his messages into welcoming expressions for the girl to read.  His resistance is finally broken when the little girl gets too close to the water and Swashby dives in to save her.  Martinez-Neal’s acrylic and colored pencil illustrations add depth to the sea and personality to the characters and the various seagulls on the beach.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian