Reviews

Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, Juana Martinez-Neal

rhiannon814r's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

5.0

mdevlin923's review against another edition

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3.0

Swashby is a hermit living near the sea when a grandmother and her granddaughter move into the house next door. They try repeatedly to become friends with Swashby...but he does not want friends. Eventually, after enough persuasion from the sea, he and the family become close friends.

jomarch436's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a cute book about found family. The art style is adorable. But this is another picture book that I think I’d enjoy more reading to a kid; as an adult it’s just good but I wasn’t blown away.

misspippireads's review against another edition

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3.0

A cute grumpy/sunshine story along the sea/beach.
Swashby is grumpy with his new joyful neighbors. He leaves messages in the sand that the waves play with and change.
As the description reads, it's a salty and sweet story about making friends.
This is a lengthier picture book so I would not use it at storytime.

Reviewed from a library copy.

roseleaf24's review against another edition

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5.0

Wonderful illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal. They play and interact with the text beautifully, adding meaning and depth. This is a sweet story from Beth Ferry, of Swashby, an old sailor, who just wants to be left alone with his beloved sea. But then a young girl and her grandmother move in next door, and he learns that sharing does not limit but increases the gifts of the sea.

anniejaneb's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent, excellent, excellent! Adorable story and adorable illustrations!

jenmkin's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is incredibly sweet & I love it

bookenthusiast13's review against another edition

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4.0

ages 3-7

mamabearian's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a book about a grumpy recluse of a sailor who retires to the beach. He’s happy to be alone. So when a little girl and her grandma move in next door, he tries whatever he can to tell them to go away by writing messages in the sand. Unfortunately, the sea keeps messing with his messages and pushing him to interact with them. I loved the illustrations. The colors and style are a perfect complement to the text.

barbarianlibarian's review against another edition

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4.0

pretty dang cute