The Sea Monster

by Christopher Wormell

The sea monster lives down at the bottom of the ocean, but one day he sits among the rocks on the shore and watches a boy and his dog playing in the rock pools. Suddenly, the current carries the boy's toy boat out among the waves, and when he tries to reach it the boy is swept far out to sea. An old fisherman tries to rescue him and receives help from an unexpected quarter.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Christopher Wormell is an English printmaker, principally known for his illustrated books.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 1001 CBYMRBYGU.

Most of the time, the sea monster sits quietly in the rocks, but when a boy’s sailboat drifts out to sea and the boy swims out after the boat, the monster must take action. An old fisherman hears the cries of the boy’s dog and he rows out to help.

A surprising story. Quiet. Suspenseful. A satisfying ending.

Far out into the ocean the old fisherman rowed,
but he saw no sign of the boy. The waves grew
big and the sky grew dark and the old man
had almost given up hope, when suddenly
the little white dog began
to bark.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sea monster isn't so much of a monster after all- he saves the little boy in a storm, even if he takes his toy boat!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is surprising; Wormell's illustrations are gorgeous.

[zunggg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm, gentle, love-wrought story full of nuance and character. Art and text dovetail perfectly.

[Issa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“And there, on a round rock covered with barnacles and limpets, and with seaweed growing from every crack, they found the boy” is the part that makes you go awww

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mya picked this one up at the library; Jamin adores it. A young boy and his dog go out to play with a toy boat at the beach while a lonely sea monster watches surreptitiously from behind the rocks and an old retired captain works on toy model boats in a cabin on the cliff above. The boy’s boat is washed out to sea. The boy swims out to retrieve it, only to find he can’t make it back to shore. The dog, the old man and the sea monster all play their own role in the boy’s rescue. It’s a beautifully written, well-told tale.

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a children's picture book. There is a great sea monster who sometimes likes to come to the beach and sit among the rocks. Here comes a little boy and his dog, who have an adventure with the sea monster, but they don't even know it!

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to K-3 classes. Wormell has such a wonderful way of getting kids thinking. A scary/ugly sea monster lurking on the beach, staring at people. But the usual formula of scary/dangerous as appealing entertainment gets turned into something much more interesting.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an imaginative book, with a fantastic sea creature that is curious and kind. The narrative is entertaining to read aloud and the illustrations are terrific. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Erroll Treslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We took 20 books out from our local public library today and this one was the hands down favorite.

[Heather]

Absolutely beautiful, and my kids like finding the sea monster hidden in the pictures.

[Ciaran Mealer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written, illustrated, and conceived. I love the depiction of the Sea Monster.

[Kayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the pictures! Wonderful story.