Pebbles to the Sea

Pebbles to the Sea, winner of the Prix Henri Black de l’album jeunesse for the best French-language Canadian picture book for children, is set in the small community of La Grave on the Iles de la Madeleine. It tells the story of two sisters, Flo and Fée, whose parents have separated. As the picture book begins, “all the colors have fallen asleep”, and the sisters are on the seashore painting pebbles while their parents are at work. They then walk through La Grave, visiting other members of the community and leaving painted pebbles as a pathway for their parents to find them: “We’ll drop colors along the way so Maman and Papa can find us.”

Sure enough, the plan works, and, at the end of the day, both parents walk towards the children, their hands full of colorful pebbles. They also have a surprise for the girls: they have built them a brightly painted playhouse near the seashore. The book ends on a reassuring note as the girls realize that they are the bridge that connects their parents, just like the islands, themselves, are joined by a sand bridge beneath the water: “The bridge between the two islands can never be broken, the same way you two will always link your mother and father,” their friend Henri explains.

Pebbles to the Sea is a gentle and thoughtful picture book as the girls reflect on their parents and their separation and on the strength of the close-knit community of La Grave which gives the girls a loving extended family. As one of their friends remarks, “La Grave weaves people into one big family.” The collage-style illustrations, which blend photographs, washes of abstract paint, and lacy borders suggestive of sea foam on a beach shoreline, are created in a soft, almost washed-out palette; greys and blues predominate, and the painted pebbles provide a jolt of bright color in a pale landscape. The illustrations are unique enough that they could also be used to encourage children to create their own collage art or painted pebbles.

The muted illustrations mirror the muted story; this is a quiet and poetic picture book that would not be a good choice for an energetic group storytime but which could be an excellent selection for individual sharing and discussion with a child or very small group of children. Pebbles to the Sea would be particularly reassuring for children whose parents are undergoing a separation or divorce as it reinforces the stability of the bonds between parents and children, regardless of the family structure. The girls begin the story feeling rather adrift and isolated but end feeling safe and contented and rooted in their family and their community.