Where is Simon, Sandy

by Donna Seim, Susan Spellman (Illustrations)

Set on the Caribbean island of Grand Turk, Simon, the deliverer of water, falls ill. It is up to his faithful donkey, Sandy, to fulfill his duty. Sandy’s story is charmingly depicted in vibrant watercolors. Based on the true story of the intelligence and loyalty of Sandy the donkey who saved the day by delivering water to the island’s inhabitants.

Genres: Picture Books

20 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jennifer Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely illustrated children’s book, given as a Christmas gift from Parlan, as a souvenir from Grand Turk. Based on a true story of the people and animals who live on the island and take care of each other.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Simon, Sandy by Donna Seim, Illustrator Susan Spellman- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of an old man named Simon, who lives in a small cottage with an assortment of animals, including his donkey Sandy, who has her own shed. Simon resides on the Caribbean island of Grand Turk. Simon, the deliverer of water. His house happens to have a well, and it is Simon's job is to provide water to the citizens of Cockburn Town. His patterns are so regular and his donkey Sandy so clever that she knows just how long to wait at each stop along the way, and is well-treated with water. Sandy is provided with crunchy carrots. One day, though, Simon does not get up, and Sandy makes the trip on her own. Her walking into town draws the attention of the town's children, and eventually they reach the doctor’s residence. When the doctor comes to Simon's cottage he finds Simon injured after tripping over his cat and unable to walk, and so his task is done by the children with Sandy's help, leading to a sense of community between the people of the town. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book, written about a loyal and lovable little donkey on the Turks and Caicos Islands [1], an island chain off the coast of Florida, just south of the Bahamas, has all of its proceeds earmarked for the Children's Programme at the Turks & Caicos National Museum. It is a charming and delightful book that reminds me of a personal story, so I will share the personal story first and then discuss this book in greater detail. The loyal and hard-working donkey of this story, Sandy, is a lot like the donkeys that I have had the chance to encounter in my own international travels, friendly, energetic, and very devoted to the people around them, even if they are somewhat shy tourists [2]. And it is this brave little donkey that is at the center of the story, although the real star of the show might be the entire island, with its laid back ways and the loyalty of people to each other in the community around Cockburn Town, where the action of the story takes place. A heartwarming story, well illustrated by someone with clearly high levels of knowledge of the area, this endearing book is based on a true story.

The short story itself begins with an old man named Simon, who lives in a small cottage with an assortment of animals, including his donkey Sandy, who has her own shed. His house happens to have a well, and it is Simon's job is to provide water to the citizens of Cockburn Town. His patterns are so regular and his donkey so clever that she knows just how long to wait at each stop along the way, and is well-treated with water, hay, and her own beloved crunchy carrots. One day, though, Simon does not get up, and Sandy makes the trip on her own, rather forlorn. Her walking into town draws the attention of the town's children, and eventually the doctor, and when the doctor comes to Simon's cottage he finds Simon injured after tripping over his cat and unable to walk, and so his task is done by the children with Sandy's help, leading to a sense of community between the people of the town. All in all, it is a story of loyal love and friendliness, and it is a positive picture of traditional life on the dry and obscure islands of the Turks and Caicos, whose land was first known for being used to mining salt from the seas. The book closes with a discussion of the islands and their people and animals and saline monoculture.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALLY cute picture book set in turks and caicos, with an old folk tale. beautiful art, and we've done an author interview with donna seim:
http://www.wanderingeducators.com/boo...

it is a sweet book - and one of our daughter's favorites.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

check out my review on my book blog: http://www.examiner.com/x-1361-Seattl...

[Skye Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun and wonderful story about a donkey that wouldn't quit. It's based on a fable of the Turks and Caicos Islands and its people.

[Tina B · Rating 3 out of 5]

donkey, work, Caribbean,