I, Sea: A Tale Told in Homonyms

NOTE: Content of co-reviewers is indicated in italic type to distinguish it from the content of the main reviewer.

On the cover of I, Sea: A Tale Told in Homonyms, a sea-faring feline stands at the prow of his boat, looking out at the waves. Is he a pirate? Maybe – he sports the classic eye patch, a tricorn hat, a waistcoat below a very natty green jacket, and a pair of striped, purple breeches (all of which contrast nicely with his orange fur and black stripes.) His trusty companion isn’t a parrot, but a jolly little blue crab with red claws.

Afloat on their boat, they watch as a whale dives into the waves and seagulls circle above the water. Each says, “I, sea.” The tiger looks through a pair of binoculars, the crab peers through a claw, and they focus on a sandy island, “Eye. See.” But suddenly, a rogue wave hits the side of the ship, splashing the tiger in his right eye. Saltwater stings! “Eye! Sea!”

Fortunately, the little crab recognizes an eye care emergency, and off they go to see the eye doctor, a friendly elephant, who wears a pair of spectacles that are an eye-catching shade of red and a string of pearls over top of her lab coat. She tests the tiger’s sight, using the classic Snellen eye chart, and begins by pointing at the two largest letters, “I . . . C . . .” A closer examination of the tiger’s right eye reveals that it’s a bit swollen; the doctor comments on the injury, “I see.” But there’s a remedy, and the doctor presents a tray of colourful eye patches which will cover the afflicted orb while it heals. Showing the tiger how to use the eye patch, she instructs him with the words, “Eye. See?” Next, the doctor, tiger, and crab turn to a framed picture on the wall. Is the tiger ready to go back to the water? Pointing at the picture, he asks, “Aye. Sea?” The doctor thinks so, and she sends them back to their little boat, the little crab happily clutching the two lollipops which will help to sweeten the discomfort.

Back on the ship, grasping the tiller (and his lollipop), the tiger looks through his telescope, the crab enjoys his lollipop, and, together, they see all the marine animals, birds, and landscape features we associate with that environment: “I, sea.” And on the final page, we see a few surprises. Bath time can be an imaginative adventure, in and on the water!

I, Sea is truly delightful, and Suzanne Sutherland is so skillful at weaving together the many homonymic variations of the two sounds - I, sea – into a “tale of a tub”. A picture is worth a thousand words, and Ashley Barron is masterful in her use of coloured and textured paper cutouts to illustrate this story of two sounds and many words. The coarse canvas of the boat’s sails, the grain of the boat’s hull, the pebbliness of the elephant eye doctor’s skin are all given texture and dimension through Barron’s masterful use of paper cutouts. Even the book’s endpapers – stylized palm trees on an ocean-blue background – echo the story’s setting.

Of course, I, Sea is a great read-aloud (especially after a bath and before bedtime) for little folks, ages 3 to 5, but I thought that a classroom teacher could use the book to teach the concept of homonyms: words that sound or are spelled the same way but have different meanings. I was a classroom teacher of high school English, and so I knew that I needed to consult with Mika Shawarsky, a Grade One teacher and mother of two avid readers. Mika and her daughter Melania have been “co-reviewers” for previous CM reviews, and I knew that they would offer me helpful responses.

Mika agreed that teachers of grade 2 or 3 (students age 7/8) could use this book as a fun way to start a conversation about homonyms. After reading the book, a class could brainstorm a list of other homonyms. Additionally, there is an opportunity to delve deeper into the meaning of the book and write a new story for the book using more words. This would help young learners or people learning English as an additional language to understand the meaning of the various homonyms in the book. In fact, writing a new story is exactly what Melania did, adding explanatory sticky notes to each page. I thought that those notes would be very helpful to someone new to English and who is confused by different words sounding the same as others. Mika commented that the book is almost deceptively simple to an adult reader, yet a first reading left a seven-year-old puzzled over the meaning. This allowed for great conversations to further discuss the meaning of the story. But when asked about the “surprise” at the end of the book, Melania said, I was confused to see that he was in a bath tub, but I liked it!

Both Mika and Melania liked Ashley Barron’s cutout pictures, with Mika describing them as beautiful, adding visual interest. Melania really enjoyed the illustrations: I liked all of the animals and the rainbow. I like when I see the crab in the pictures, because he is always doing something funny. When asked which pages were her favourites, Melania was clear about her choice: I like the pages with the crab. I like when he is on the phone and holding and licking the lollipops. His little tongue is so adorable! I liked the crab, too – he may be a crustacean, but he’s definitely not crusty!

We all agree that I, Sea: A Tale Told in Homonyms is a great book for a school library, a classroom, and as a gift for some lucky reader.