Johnny, the Sea, and Me
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 16, 2024
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- $15.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A timid ten-year-old boy meets Johnny, a gruff islander who will change his life, in Johnny, the Sea, and Me, a heartwarming middle-grade novel by Melba Escobarabout finding yourself and your place in the world—featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Elizabeth Builes.
Translated from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson
Pedro has always dreamed of going to the sea. So when his mom takes him on a special trip to a small island in the Caribbean, he’s so happy that he grows an extra inch! But the troubles at home—bullying from classmates and an absent father—find a way to follow Pedro, even on vacation… Overwhelmed, the boy takes to the beach and runs away, hoping to leave his worries far behind.
That’s when he meets Johnny, an islander descended from pirates. At first, Pedro is frightened by Johnny’s imposing appearance and brusque manners. But Johnny, along with his chatty parrot Victoria, takes young Pedro under his wing and shares his island and his stories with him, thereby changing Pedro’s life. Because sometimes, like Pedro, you have to lose yourself to find yourself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ten-year-old Pedro is small for his age and constantly gets his hair mussed by classmates "as if he's a little chihuahua"; one disdainful pupil, Ulloa, even bullies him outright. Evading Pedro's questions about the whereabouts of his father, his mother proffers a trip to a Caribbean island, where Pedro dreams of encountering pirates and exotic sea creatures. Shortly after they arrive, however, a moment of emotional upset sends Pedro running down the beach, and soon he's lost. An unexpected encounter with gruff Johnny Tay, a solitary beach hermit, nets Pedro experiences with a loquacious parrot, a breadfruit tree, a feast made on a one-burner gas stove, and, beneath Johnny's brusqueness, true compassion: "There is even good in bad people, and bad in good people," he tells Pedro. Translator Paulson (Book of Questions) gracefully incorporates hints of magical realism from Colombian writer Escobar (House of Beauty, for adults)—Pedro grows when he's happy and shrinks when he's despondent (leaving him, at low moments, swimming in his clothes). Escobar's compatriot Builes (The Amazing Students of Venezuela) contributes delicately lined artwork to this tale, which ruminates on the healing presence of a figure who lives life on his own terms. Ages 8–12.
