The Sea

(Hardback)

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Description

The Sea loves her fish children very much and reads to them every day. One day, when the fish are being especially loud, the Sea disappears in hope of some peace and quiet. At first the fish children enjoy the chance to misbehave, but become distraught when they realise they have no one to read them a bedtime story. An opportunistic cat promises to read them a story on the condition that they let it eat the fish afterwards. The fish are so desperate, they agree. It is only after their story has finished that the implications of their decision sinks in. They cry so profusely that their salty tears bring the Sea back, much to the disappointment of the cat. The Sea promises to teach her fish how to read so that if she ever needs a break again, the fish will be safe from harm.

Piret Raud is Estonia's leading children's book creator, and has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award twice, in 2020 and 2022. Her surreal story about the importance of reading and bedtime stories blends a highly imaginative narrative and illustrations with an empathetic understanding of the challenges of solo-parenting.

Reviews

'A story that will resonate with many a parent' - Daily Telegraph (Best new books for children)
'This is certainly a surreal, at times almost dreamlike, narrative but any book that ultimately celebrates the importance of reading and bedtime stories we are here for' - @bookishwaytoplay

Author Bio

Piret Raud is an award-winning author and illustrator based in Tallinn, Estonia. She has illustrated over forty books and written sixteen books for children, which have been translated into over twelve languages. They include The Ear (Thames & Hudson) and L'histoire de la petite maison qui recherchait des habitants (Rouergue). Piret is the winner of multiple awards for her work in children's literature and has been nominated for two of the world's most significant awards for children's books - the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.