Where Three Oceans Meet
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A child, mother, and grandmother travel all the way to the end of the earth in author Rajani LaRoccaand illustrator Archana Sreenivasan’s Where Three Oceans Meet, a picture book that celebrates multigenerational love—perfect for fans of Drawn Together and Alma.
“I want to see what’s at the end of the earth!”
Sejal, Mommy, and Pati travel together to the southern tip of India. Along the way, they share meals, visit markets, and catch up with old friends.
For Pati, the trip retraces spaces she knows well. For Mommy, it’s a return to the place she grew up. For Sejal, it’s a discovery of new sights and sounds. The family finds their way to Kanyakumari, where three oceans meet, and delight in making it to the end of the earth together.
This own voices picture book celebrates the beauty of India and the enduring love of family.
“The metaphor of the intertwining of cross-cultural and cross-generational similarities and differences is sustained from start to finish, offering points of connection for readers from all backgrounds.” —Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by the author's memory of a similar childhood trip, this picture book follows brown-skinned Sejal as she goes on a family trek across India to Kanyakumari, "the very tip of India, where three oceans meet." She travels alongside her bespectacled mother, who lives with Sejal in America, and Sejal's gray-haired pati, who lives in India. Employing the first-person perspective, LaRocca subtly acknowledges cultural differences between generations as the trio packs: nine-yard-long silk saris for Pati, bright six-yard-long saris for Mommy, and "T-shirts and jeans, and langas and blouses for dressing up" for Sejal. The telling also engages the sensory details of their travels as the trio visit relatives, temples, and street vendors across India ("In the hot afternoon, we sip water straight from tender green coconuts with their tops sliced off"), richly accompanied by Sreenivasan's digital art, which offers animation-style figures against vibrant backgrounds ripe with detail. A satisfyingly poignant close against expansive views from Kanyakumari concludes this warm intergenerational tale, which emphasizes how love transcends distance and endures across continents. Back matter includes author's and illustrator's notes. Ages 4–8.
