The Garden under the Sea

by George Selden

An animal story in the tradition of The Wind in the Willows takes Long Island Sound for its quiet setting and the sea creatures around Turtle Rock for its lively and opinionated characters. Actually, not much happens. What counts is the way in which Peter Starfish, Oscar Lobster, Hector Crab, James Fish and the old periwinkle, their mentor and guide in all matters of importance, take their small action. We first hear of it when Peter meets Hector, and Oscar, who is whipping him up about the disgraceful collecting being done by the shore people. When the sea creatures decide to retaliate and make a garden of their own with human relics, the principle that is learned by everyone, including Janet and Howard, the children on shore, is that one must not salvage for loot alone. It's a long story with many episodes, during the course of which we became increasingly fascinated with Mr. Selden's knowledge of the sea, and his ear for humorous, salty tale.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

George Selden (1929-1989) was the author of The Cricket in Times Square, winner of the 1961 Newbery Honor and a timeless children's classic. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Selden received his B.A. from Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed to the literary magazine. He spent three summer sessions at Columbia University and, after college, studied for a year in Rome on a Fulbright Scholarship.

People often asked Selden how he got the idea for The Cricket in Times Square. "One night I was coming home on the subway, and I did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station. The story formed in my mind within minutes. An author is very thankful for minutes like those, although they happen all too infrequently." The popular Cricket series grew to seven titles, including Tucker's Countryside and The Old Meadow. In 1973, The Cricket in Times Square was made into an animated film. Selden wrote more than fifteen books, as well as two plays. His storytelling blends the marvelous with the commonplace realities of life, and it was essential to him that his animal characters display true emotions and feelings.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally well written. I'd never heard of this book until I started researching author George Selden. This was an early work (1957) and was highly recommended. It was re-issued in the mid 60s as Oscar Lobster's Fair Exchange with different illustrations to make it more attractive to fans of Selden's The Cricket in Times Square. I wanted to read the original, and am so happy I did. For me this ranks right up there with The Wind in the Willows, a great story of friendship and adventure. The setting is a summer on Long Island Sound and the friends are a lobster, a crab, a starfish and a fish. Together they salvage items humans leave on the beach and populate a garden under the sea with them. The prose is lyrical and never forced. I didn't want the book to end, or in this case the summer to be over. I can't understand how it is that this book (or "Oscar Lobster's Fair Exchange") has been allowed to go out of print. George Selden was a very talented writer and I've ordered Sparrow Socks (which is a story book rather than a novel), and am still recommending The Genie of Sutton Place to friends and nephews. The Garden under the Sea would make a great animated film, and "Genie" would make a great family film full of humor and special effects. Come on Hollywood, what are waiting for?

[Leasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books from childhood. ( Childhood books were finished by 2nd Grade, when I moved in to Shakespeare). I think I was the only one that checked it out from the library. I had it checked out, almost constantly, through the end of my elementary education.
Recently, my 85 year old, (former teacher) Mom, surprised me. With a copy of this. She’d read it before giving it to me. Absolute Intrigued as to why this book. Why it affected and had such an impact on me
Read it. Maybe you will
Other childhood to this day favorites: The BoxCar Children & Gone Away Lake.
I enjoyed the Laura I falls Wilder series as a child. Reading them as an adult, I realize how much information is missing.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an older book and its age does show. As a child, I wished I were a boy because all of the best characters in books were boys, the ones who had adventures and did things. This was the kind of book I was reading. All of the main characters are males, although they are sea creatures and their gender really isn't important to the story. The only female characters are a singe sea anemone who barely speaks and some humans. Janet, a little girl, is portrayed positively, but she is never the one with ideas, she just agrees and follows. All of the human adults are portrayed as ridiculous, but especially the mothers. "With a great show of strength, the two men pulled their little rowboat down to the water in one rush while their wives squealed appreciatively." "While the women were being helped into the boat, Janet's mother slipped and sprawled half in, half out, with her legs dangling in the water. But her husband gallantly hauled her in and tumbled her into the cockpit." "Howard's mother lifted the anchor line off the forward cleat, and, raising the wooden buoy high above her head, she shouted, 'Here we go!' and threw the whole works into the water."

Setting aside the poor representation of females in this book, the other thing that makes it seem old fashioned is the general mildness of the action. Personally, I'm fine with that. There are adventures and even the risk of loss of life, but we always know that things will be OK, and indeed they are. It's a nice story with interesting and for the most part likable characters.