To the Sea

The dedication “to anyone who feels invisible and any whale that needs to get back to the sea” succinctly summarizes both the message and the story of the book, which are simple but lovely. This tale of one little boy’s efforts to help his new friend the whale make it back home to the sea is awash in emotion and particularly poignant in the way it deals with the very real and universal experience of children occasionally feeling alone or invisible. Atkinson beautifully captures the perspective of a child in both his text and illustration. Upon having to leave the whale alone for the night, Tim leaves him “two glasses of water, some company [(a goldfish)] and left one light on” in a beautifully simple gesture designating exactly what a child often needs to be comforted at night. The striking two toned illustrations are where this book truly sets itself apart, with the contrast between the warm orange and cool teal illustrations lending almost laser focus to the heart of each page, while simultaneously expressing the temperature of emotion as experienced by the books’ participants. While Tim’s features are realistically colored (peach skin, brown eyes and hair, etc.), all of the other children throughout the book (until the final page) are monochromatic orange—they are separate background beings, seeming to experience only bliss in their clementine glow, which further emphasizes Tim’s feelings of invisibility and alienation. Tim’s feelings are front and center thoughout. The sheer size of the whale speaks to the depth of the feelings of isolation and loneliness a child can feel, and also lends an air of child-like perspective, as does the font, which while slightly hard to read, clearly designates the point of view. While the book takes place mostly in the semi-darkness of a teal world, the vibrant full-color illustrations of the last page, as Tim is able to take the lessons he learned in his interaction with the whale (be it real or only imagined) and apply it to making a new friend, bring the book full circle and end on a high note in the beautifully comforting way of children’s books.