FICTION

Off To See the Sea

by Nikki Grimes (text) & illus. by Elizabeth Zunon
Jabberwocky. Jan. 2021. 32p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781492638292.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–Grimes and Zunon (Bedtime for Sweet Creatures) team up again, this time for a bathing adventure that fans will surely enjoy. Getting this particular child into the bathtub takes persuasion, imagination, and pretend, as Black parents coordinate efforts to get their reluctant child into the tub. What follows is a deep sea dive to depths unknown, some sneaky shampooing, and before anyone can realize it, the clean child ready for bed, tired after such a harrowing journey. Grimes keeps the overall story simple, using the senses and action to build each scene to realistically tell a story while also describing an imaginative world to entice any bather. Zunon saturates each page with colorful mixed media, that includes collage, acrylic paint, and gel pen.
VERDICT The illustrations along with the swirl of words on each page add to the story’s vibrancy and texture; there’s always room in the collection for this kind of collaboration.
Reviewed by Hilary Tufo, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Reynoldsburg, OH , Feb 01, 2021

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