Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee:

Mr. Magee

by Chris Van Dusen

With enough lunch for three, Mr. Magee and his dog Dee head out to the sea. But what begins as a fun day in the sun turns a bit bumpy when one playful whale decides to say hello. Soon the crew that once was floating finds themselves flying! How will they get down? Who will come to their rescue? And when will they ever get to eat lunch? Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee is a great read-aloud, sure to provide fits of giggles.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Summer, Adventure, Animals, Storytime, Humor

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Chris Van Dusen writes: “I was born in Portland, Maine, on St. Patrick’s Day, 1960. As a child, my brothers and I would spend hours drawing pictures. We didn’t have video games or computers to entertain us, so we drew instead. One of my brothers would sketch intricate war scenes. Another would draw animals so realistic you’d swear they were breathing. My specialty was aliens, robots, and monsters.

“Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey were my heroes. I loved the rhythm of Dr. Seuss’ words and I was fascinated by the meticulous detail of Robert McCloskey’s illustrations. I had no idea back then that I’d end up writing and illustrating children’s books when I grew up.

“After high school, I studied fine art at The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and graduated with a BFA in 1982. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. First I was a waiter, and then I was offered a part-time job at a magazine for teenagers. Eventually I started drawing cartoons and illustrations for the magazine and my career as an illustrator was born.

“For more than ten years I worked as a freelance illustrator specializing in art for kids. I was doing mostly editorial work and my illustrations appeared in magazines like Nickelodeon, Family Fun, and Disney Adventures. One day I started thinking about drawing a picture of a boat stuck high up in a tree. I thought that would be a really funny and intriguing illustration. At the same time, a refrain kept running through my head—“Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee / Hopped in the car and drove down to the sea.” The combination of these two things eventually became my first book, Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Chronicle), which was published in 2000. Since then I’ve written and illustrated A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee (Chronicle) (2003), If I Built a Car (Puffin) (2005) and I’ve had a ball illustrating Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson series (Candlewick).

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun adventure brought to you by Van Dusen, the wonderful illustrator and rhyming narrator.

Ages: 3 - 8

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[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and the rest in the series are the BEST children's books. Chris Van Dusen writes and illustrates. Can't recommend them enough!

[Crystal Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright beautiful colors, wonderful lyrical text and fun retro illustrations! This book has it all. So fun to read aloud. Parents and kids alike will love it and spot new things in the illustrations every time they read it!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the McGee books. They are so much fun. They rhyme perfectly and have great illustrations. This time McGee and Dee decide to take out the boat. And they just happen to make friends with a whale.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one along with "A Camping Spree with Mr Magee." Bonus was that they take place in Maine!

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Magee and his little dog Dee
will make you chuckle and tee-hee.
It's a jolly good time
with impeccable rhyme.
The art's a delight.
But, oh, such a plight.
In this whale of a tale
will they have to bail?
Or make it to shore?
Can't tell anymore. 😉

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van Dusen really does write delightful children’s books.

[Jennifer Bourque (ButterflyReader77) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

What an adorable children's book. I absolutely loved it to the point that I finished reading it even after the child I was reading to fell asleep.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Magee and his dog Dee decide to go out on their boat for the day. When a little whale decides to make a new friend and play with them, Mr. Magee and Dee have a very unexpected and wild adventure.

I knew Van Dusen could whip up great illustrations. I had no clue he could put together great rhyming text too. This was quite the wild adventure, just the kind of epic, hilarious tale I love. I like the 1950s or 1960s Maine setting too. I only wish I had found these Mr. Magee books earlier.

[Dprague · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our household copy from the original printing has survived multiple shelf-weeding and 3 moves, dust jacket and all. This book was the first in the "Mr. Magee and Dee" series, and introduced us to the gentle rhymes and cartoony (but not ridiculous) illustrations of Chris Van Dusen. Even pre-readers will be able to surmise that an ordinary day at sea turns not so ordinary for these companions, but with the help of some friends the day is saved. Dee and Magee are colorful and expressive, and the plot is just silly enough to to elicit a giggle or two. The idea of a man and his equally human like dog is somehow believable in this book and the perspective in Chris Van Dusen's drawings make the readers want to keep the pages turning. The text moves the story along with humorous twists and a positive message. It is a great story to read aloud to younger children, although many will quickly memorize the words and want to "read" it aloud themselves. After almost 19 years in print, I am not surprised to see that Dee and Magee are still having adventures together.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure Chris Van Dusen has successfully set himself up to be one of the classic children's book authors for the generations. His books all have a retro-timeless quality to them that I believe will age very well. I'm always impressed with books that are as fun for an adult to read aloud as they are for a child to look at and listen to. It's really easy to put some feeling into this one, altering speed and volume and intoning different emotions as I read. Sometimes with books that rhyme, it's too easy to fall into almost a chanting rhythm to go with the cadence of the text. With this one, I didn't feel that at all. With the recent exposure we have had to Van Dusen's books, he is clearly becoming a favorite in this household.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books written in verse. This is a fact. And this children's book in rhyming verse with bold colors and playful illustrations just added more evidence to the fact.

Mr. Magee and his dog Dee have an unexpected adventure after packing a lunch for three. That slightly confused my youngest daughter, "Why three? There's only two of them!" I told her everyone likes extra snacks. That satisfied her.

The story is fun on its own but makes for an even better read-aloud. So I did. All the family enjoyed it.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary illustrations. The composition, design and color are great. It makes it all exciting and very professional. I'm not a big fan of rhyming books but this was actually very fun to read as an adult. It surely is a great collection to have as a paperback too. The kids had lots of fun, the story incited their imagination and discussion. I love a great children's book with a lot of improbable and surreal adventures.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my grandson (almost 2). It's a pretty long story for a 2-year-old, but he stayed engaged and focused on the fun, colorful illustrations. He laughed at the pictures of the big whale and the seagulls. He talked about the boat, the water, and the whale tails. He liked it so much, he wanted to read it again. This was a delightful rhyming story with cartoon-like pictures. I would recommend for ages 3-6.

[CSCL Staff Picks · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I loved all of the children’s books in this series, reading about the adventures of Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee. The combination of fun, rhyming text with colorful, creative illustrations kept his chubby little fingers pointing at the pages while we drank in the story together! A definite keeper to read again someday when I’m a grandma.

[Heather Runnels · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need to read aloud to a group of young kids, you can’t go wrong with Van Dusen. All of his books have extraordinary illustrations and strong, rhythmic storylines that will keep your audience riveted. The quality of his work make his books a go-to when buying presents for young kids. Top notch.

[Sarah Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, Mr. Van Dusen! This book - the hilarity of the story, the exquisite paintings, the memorable characters, - struck a chord in our family. My son loves this book so much that we decided to make it the theme of his 3rd birthday party. 😊 We love all of Chris Van Dusen’s books, but this one holds a special place in our hearts.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Van Dusen has to be one of my favorite children's books illustrators - his work is so reminiscent of illustrations from the 40s and 50s. And I love his rhyming, rhythmic writing. It's so reminiscent of of the way Dr. Seuss wrote. His books are fun and exciting - and that's what matters most to my little Zander.

[Ali Tedrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Whale of a Tale!!!!! (:

I loved this book(: it was super funny, pleasant, and has you on the edge of your seat. There was not one thing I didn't like about this book. I would recommend this book to everyone. It gave us such a laugh and all smiles for bedtime. Thank you 🩵 We loved the whole book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knows what kind of adventures you might have when you leave the house! Mr. Magee and his lovable pooch go boating and find themselves in quite a predicament. New friends save the day.

Retro 60's setting- the illustrations are just beautiful.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bright, colorful book with blocks of rhyming text. Mr Magee and his dog get stuck in a tree in their boat after a whale shoots them into the air. Definitely a silly, nonsensical book, but definitely nails the summertime ambience.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun rhyming book about Mr. Magee and his dog spending a day at sea when they come into contact with a playful whale that wants to say hello. The illustrations are captivating and my kiddos will love the rhyming verse throughout.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun story about Mr Magee and his little dog Dee, went down to the sea one day. They were enjoying watching over 50 whales and they got an unexpected ride from a mischievious whale. This book is a real hit, I loved it and I think you will too.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book in Cape Cod when my boys were little, I love it today as much as I did the first 300 times I read it to them 10 years ago!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read on repeat during our library loan. Great book. Favorite.

[DeNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Mr. Magee books. Fun rhymes with whimsical illustrations makes for fun preschool reading.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's got everything a young reader would love...a great, silly story, rhyming, and beautiful, colorful illustrations.

[Steve Ongley]

Fiction - Prose

[Sean a. Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

We love seeing Magee Dee. in the other book if I built the car. We love the artwork in all his books

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We LOVE Chris VanDusen!