I, Sea - by Suzanne Sutherland (Hardcover)

About the Book

"At first glance, this is a simple and fun pirate story. An orange tabby pirate is out at sea with their trusty -- if a little crabby -- first mate, and everything is right with the world. Until... Splash! A wave crashes over-board and something gets in the pirate's eye. A trip to the floppy-eared eye doctor brings solutions in the form of (you guessed it!) an eye patch and lollipops! Soon enough, the two companions are back on the high seas where they belong. But there's more to this story than first meets the eye. See? (Har har.) The story plays with only two words -- but includes the variations that can be found within those two words: "I" can also be "eye," "aye," and the letter "I." While "sea" can also be "see" and the letter "C"! Very young kids will be engaged by a simple and clever pirate story, while at the same time learning the concept of a homophone in a practical, straightforward way. On the final page, readers discover that this charming and whimsical story was played out by a child with toys in their bathtub -- a fun ode to creativity, imagination, and one of the key themes in a book of homonyms: the power of perspective."--

Book Synopsis

A playful tale about homonyms and the power of perspective

Told through the repetition of two sounds, this delightful pirate adventure is also a clever lesson on homonyms: words that sound the same, or are spelled the same, but have different meanings.

A swashbuckling tabby and their crabby first mate are enjoying a day on the water when--"Eye! Sea!"--a wave crashes against their ship and something gets in the captain's eye. The two companions visit the optometrist, where the cat reads out the letters I and C during an eye test. The eye doctor explains, "Eye. See?" and teaches the pirate how to put on an eyepatch. By the end of the book, readers will shout "I see!" as it's revealed that the whole story was part of a child's bathtub playtime.

This charming ode to language and imagination is illustrated in Ashley Barron's iconic cut-paper collage artwork. Read aloud, it will spark conversation and exclamation as young kids discover the whimsy of word play.

Review Quotes

"I, Sea is truly delightful, and Suzanne Sutherland is so skillful at weaving together the many homonymic variations of the two sounds ... A picture is worth a thousand words, and Ashley Barron is masterful in her use of coloured and textured paper cutouts to illustrate this story of two sounds and many words."

-- "Canadian Review of Materials"

"A great conversation starter for littles learning about homonyms."

-- "Youth Services Book Review"

"Clever ... Lends itself to reading aloud in a broad, expressive way and could serve as a first introduction to a feature of language."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"This thought-provoking book for beginning readers illustrates the concept of homonyms in a clever way ... The author and illustrator provide wonderful examples of the homonym concept for beginning readers."

-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database"