Ocean Meets Sky

Product Information

Finn and the fish visit the Library Islands where birds wear top hats, an island of truly giant shells, a sea full of dancing jellyfish, and then they are there.

The reader can clearly see how much Finn and his grandfather loved each other, even if the grandfather isn't even present in most of the book. A lovely picture book that celebrates familial bonds, as a boy honors the memory of his grandfather by constructing a boat: one he will journey on to where the ocean meets sky, based on tales his grandfather told.

Sentimental story, nice enough, but there's little there about Grandpa or the boy's relationship to him, really. There is no real action, and the sense of loss is perfectly muted (my 4-year old hasn't notably picked up on the implication of death). lol I have grand nephews and grand nieces with parents who value reading good books to their children. Although I have enjoyed everything this talented pair have produced, from the aforementioned The Night Gardener, which they both wrote and illustrated, to The Antlered Ship, which they illustrated for author Dashka Slater, I think Ocean Meets Sky is the Fan Brothers' best work yet!

I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic! The story is an ambitious blend of light and heavy, realistic and dreamy: it concerns a small boy, Finn, whose grandfather has recently passed away in his old age. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. From the creators of the gorgeous bestseller The Night Gardener comes a stunning new picture book about a young boy who sets sail to find a place his grandfather told him about. In the end, his mother affectionately wakes him up for dinner; though he is never able to reunite with his grandfather in the way he most desires, he is sustained in his bereavement by the power of imagination and the loving presence of his family.This is a gorgeous, fantastical story of the enduring bond of a child and his grandfather and a dreamy glimpse of what might lay beyond. In what is ultimately revealed to be a dream, Finn builds a boat and undertakes a solo nautical journey, assisted by a talking fish guide, in the hopes of reuniting with his grandfather in the paradise where "ocean meets sky"; along the way, he encounters some visually lovely mythic islands populated by book-reading birds and giant shells.

Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning. And indeed, not really all that much if at all focussing (except for some textual reassurance if required) on the Fan brothers’ printed words but rather on their large and mostly glowingly luminous illustrations has made me not only appreciate but also absolutely love and cherish Ocean Meets Sky. The unit begins by introducing the authors to the children and highlighting the power of bookmaking/storytelling.I think the fantastical dreams (lovely, lovely illustrations) the boy has are influenced by the stories and conversations with his grandfather. This text, which has won many awards and honours, combines the quality writing and luminous illustrations of the Fan Brothers. Every time he looks out his window it’s a constant reminder of the stories his grandfather told him about the place where the ocean meets the sky. Thankfully, his grandpas and his great-grandpa are all still with us, but I was amazed that the Fan brothers managed to convey this so clearly through the sparse text and the illustrations.

I was at my last school for 4 years and we had ********* book fairs every term – and every term, I was disappointed by the narrow range of books. The whimsical steampunk-ish illustrations are brimful of charming details that could keep any adult or child reader engrossed for hours -- a truly inspired mix of whale, fish, bird, and ship imagery. I think the best way I can describe my belief in the Fan Brothers as author/illustrators might be to show you the video of my multiple purchases of their most recent book, Ocean Meets Sky. Here they follow the story of Finn, a young boy who is missing his (presumably deceased) grandfather.The great golden fish, though, I found a bit terrifying; he acts as Finn's guide, so he's kind of a necessary part of the story, but I'm not sure how he'd go over with little kids. The story itself is emotionally resonant, without ever feeling overdone or manipulative, and touches on issues of death, grief and memory, as well as the power of dreams.