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The Deep
Alice lives in a house by the sea. Snakes and spiders don't scare her, but she's very afraid of the deep ocean water. Her swimming, splashing, diving family urge her to come out and play with them, but no matter how hard she tries, Alice still can't leave the green shallows for the deep. This moving story about a girl besting her fears is matched with warm, light-splashed illustrations.
32 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 1998
1 person is currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Tim Winton
76 books2,367 followersTim Winton was born in Perth, Western Australia, but moved at a young age to the small country town of Albany.
While a student at Curtin University of Technology, Winton wrote his first novel, An Open Swimmer. It went on to win The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1981, and launched his writing career. In fact, he wrote "the best part of three books while at university". His second book, Shallows, won the Miles Franklin Award in 1984. It wasn't until Cloudstreet was published in 1991, however, that his career and economic future were cemented.
In 1995 Winton’s novel, The Riders, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as was his 2002 book, Dirt Music. Both are currently being adapted for film. He has won many other prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award three times: for Shallows (1984), Cloudstreet (1992) and Dirt Music (2002). Cloudstreet is arguably his best-known work, regularly appearing in lists of Australia’s best-loved novels. His latest novel, released in 2013, is called Eyrie.
He is now one of Australia's most esteemed novelists, writing for both adults and children. All his books are still in print and have been published in eighteen different languages. His work has also been successfully adapted for stage, screen and radio. On the publication of his novel, Dirt Music, he collaborated with broadcaster, Lucky Oceans, to produce a compilation CD, Dirt Music – Music for a Novel.
He has lived in Italy, France, Ireland and Greece but currently lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
While a student at Curtin University of Technology, Winton wrote his first novel, An Open Swimmer. It went on to win The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1981, and launched his writing career. In fact, he wrote "the best part of three books while at university". His second book, Shallows, won the Miles Franklin Award in 1984. It wasn't until Cloudstreet was published in 1991, however, that his career and economic future were cemented.
In 1995 Winton’s novel, The Riders, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as was his 2002 book, Dirt Music. Both are currently being adapted for film. He has won many other prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award three times: for Shallows (1984), Cloudstreet (1992) and Dirt Music (2002). Cloudstreet is arguably his best-known work, regularly appearing in lists of Australia’s best-loved novels. His latest novel, released in 2013, is called Eyrie.
He is now one of Australia's most esteemed novelists, writing for both adults and children. All his books are still in print and have been published in eighteen different languages. His work has also been successfully adapted for stage, screen and radio. On the publication of his novel, Dirt Music, he collaborated with broadcaster, Lucky Oceans, to produce a compilation CD, Dirt Music – Music for a Novel.
He has lived in Italy, France, Ireland and Greece but currently lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 19, 2020
This is my review of The Deep, not to be confused with The Deep, The Deep, The Deep, The Deep, or The Deep.
Realistic art portrays the story of a young girl who is afraid to swim in deep water, despite the assurances of her family, until she is unwittingly lured there by some dolphins. I don't know that it will do anything to affect any child's fear of swimming in the ocean, but the art is lovely.
What I really wanted to know upon reading this was, where the heck can a family live in a run-down shack of a house right on the beach and swim with dolphins right off the shore, without any tourism development in sight! The answer is: Australia. This takes place in Australia, where there is reportedly 500m of beach for every person on the continent. So jealous.
Realistic art portrays the story of a young girl who is afraid to swim in deep water, despite the assurances of her family, until she is unwittingly lured there by some dolphins. I don't know that it will do anything to affect any child's fear of swimming in the ocean, but the art is lovely.
What I really wanted to know upon reading this was, where the heck can a family live in a run-down shack of a house right on the beach and swim with dolphins right off the shore, without any tourism development in sight! The answer is: Australia. This takes place in Australia, where there is reportedly 500m of beach for every person on the continent. So jealous.
November 11, 2014
I picked up this book for the swimming theme as my son was approaching his first swimming lessons, but it ended up being a great book for him due to its discussion of courage. He's been having a hard time with some things lately, and this showed that it's ok to feel the fear and that being brave isn't about losing the fear, it's about doing it anyway. I liked that the little girl's family didn't push her to swim out further than she was ready and just let her come to things on her own terms, and I think it was helpful for him to see that it took a few tries and her own internal motivation before she was able to overcome things.
This was a title he really gravitated to and wanted to make sure both me and my husband had chances to read it with him. It gave us all some vocabulary and context for him to explore his own feelings of fear without making the discussion so directly and obviously about him.
This was a title he really gravitated to and wanted to make sure both me and my husband had chances to read it with him. It gave us all some vocabulary and context for him to explore his own feelings of fear without making the discussion so directly and obviously about him.
June 7, 2012
My absolute favourite book that I read to my daughter when she was younger.
May 28, 2020
Winton's writing is so superb, and I love that he is able to adapt to a younger audience without losing any of the heart so profound in his other works. His appreciation for the Australian beach and family life are ever apparent in this touching tale of confronting fears. I understand that there is a deeper metaphor at play here, but with a fear of the ocean a very real and scary concept for many Aussie kids, this story strikes a much more literal chord. The illustrations are also gorgeous; Karen Louise has captured the motion and the beauty of the water and the colours are warm and inviting.
May 10, 2017
This combines Winton's knowledge about kids with his love of the ocean. About a family who love to swim off the pier in the ocean, the young girl is afraid of going too far into the deep water.
It is not one of those stridently didactic books that sacrifices literature for a "good message". It is a terrific book to share with children who are facing particular fears (my son was scared of the water) - and acknowledging that fears are usual but can be overcome.
The illustrations are also lovely, the water that special Australian ocean blue!
It is not one of those stridently didactic books that sacrifices literature for a "good message". It is a terrific book to share with children who are facing particular fears (my son was scared of the water) - and acknowledging that fears are usual but can be overcome.
The illustrations are also lovely, the water that special Australian ocean blue!
May 15, 2019
A young girl conquers her fear of swimming in deep water.
January 12, 2021
Beautifully illustrated, but not the offbeat story I would have expected from Tim Winton.
August 24, 2022
2,5
Open Library.
Open Library.
December 11, 2022
Lovely book for kids
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May 2, 2023k
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2024
Childrens book
July 19, 2013
The author uses the aspect of tension in the book. The character struggle with herself and allowing herself to let go and face the fear of swimming in the deep part of the sea with her family. She had a choice of staying safe by playing near the shore or risk it by swimming out with her family. Tension was use well in the book. There was a clear struggle of the little girl trying to overcome the fear and attempting to face it, but failing each time. She didn’t overcome it until she stop thinking about it, but when she notice she had swam into the deep, that struggled reappeared. The assurance of her family that she was actually okay and swimming well helped with the conflict she had between herself and her thoughts of think she was couldn’t do it. The author use the elements well because there was suspense in the beginning because you thought she was going to get into the deep, there was a goal to be accomplish, etc. I have an idea of having my students to practice writing suspense stories where the character comes close to facing or fear, but does not quite get there until the end.
January 28, 2012
Alice is not afraid of very many things. She is afraid of the deep water of the ocean. She really wants to swim with the rest of her family, but she can't get herself to swim past the shallow part. One day, dolphins swim by and Alice jumps in to chase them. All of a sudden she finds herself in the deep, swimming with her family. She did it!
October 12, 2008
This is a delightful children's picture book written by a very talented West Aussie writer. It deals realistically with a family who loves the ocean. The dilemna lies with the young daughter who is afraid of "the deep".
October 14, 2011
"The Deep" is an illustrated children's book with a straight forward text by Tim Winton. Alice, who at the beginning of the book is afraid of the deep sea, ends by overcoming that fear. A simple message in an unremarkable book.
November 28, 2011
This was a good story about a little girl overcoming her fear of deep water. It is beautifully illustrated and the writing, while not chock full of literary devices is very nice as well. I enjoyed it immensely.
December 29, 2011
I had no idea Tim Winton wrote childrens' books! I might have to look into more of his kids books...
September 23, 2012
I loved reading this to my daughter, who was scared of lots of things when she was young, including deep water!
August 18, 2012
Beautiful illustrations accompanied with wonderfully descriptive prose.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews