Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #316299 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 24 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Stylized in an otherworldly manner, Italian illustrator Ceccoli's English-language debut begins as a boy sets sail for a tiny island. "I spy with my little eye a bird flying by" reads the accompanying text, the type curving across the skies of the double-page spreads as if tossed by the ocean breeze. The locks of the boy's hair, an aqueous blue, undulate like the tentacles of a sea urchin, as do the rays of the smiling, rosy-cheeked sun, the tail feathers of birds and the branches of trees. Blackstone (Cleo the Cat) enlarges the sentence of text with each page, until: "I spy with my little eye someone waiting for me on a beach beside the sea and a big tangly tree on an island close to me." The "someone" turns out to be a blue dog, and the island looks as if it's made of plasticine, with cheerful, lumpy vegetation and an assortment of sea creatures distributed carefully over its smooth surface. After an afternoon of fishing, the dog and the boy nap in the sun, near a plate full of fish bones. The last spread shows boy and dog sailing together for home under lavender skies and a watchful blue crescent moon. Paired with the incantatory quality of the verse, the off-center illustrations leave readers with the pleasantly hazy sensation of having spent a long day at the beach. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-Against a backdrop of oceany greens and tropical blues warmed by the sun's golden rays, a young boy with blue hair sets sail on a voyage across the sea, his spyglass trained on an island where someone is eagerly awaiting his arrival. And who is there to greet him? A friendly dog that accompanies him on the return voyage. The text begins, "I spy with my little eye a bird flying by." The waves of type rise and fall, simulating the rocking motion of the ocean, as each page adds another phrase to the simple rhyme ("-the sun in the sky-/a big tangly tree on an island far from me-"). Ceccoli's surreal acrylic and oil-pastel illustrations perfectly capture the rhythmical nuances of the text; the images are memorable both for their unique style and unusual color schemes. This is the artist's first English-language picture book; her most recent honor was the Italian Andersen Prize naming her best illustrator of the year for 2001. While the art is stronger than the story, the text is lyrical and suits the mood.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. The green-blue ocean fills these pages, as a boy in a small, well-equipped sailboat spies through his spyglass. First he sees a bird flying by, then the sun in the sky, dolphins, and finally an island with a "tangly" tree, and a beach where a little polka-dot dog sits. The boy reaches the island; he and the dog cavort and play, catch fish, and then sail home on the boat in the twilight. The curved horizon of the sea is ever-present, and the rhyming text, based on the "I spy with my little eye" conceit, is printed in waves over the images. The acrylic-and-oil art, sometimes abstract and whimsically colored (the boy has blue hair), is nicely detailed. There's a life preserver in the sailboat, and the tiny island beach is dotted with flowers and shells. As pleasant, dreamy, and brightly colored as a summer afternoon. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Beautiful Ode to Wonder and Adventure
I got this for my son when he turned 2 and from the first reading he was completely captivated and inspired. The book is short, beautiful, and even arresting in its aspirational, idyllic, and nostalgic quality.

After we started reading this book, my son started to ask me to tell him other stories of adventures and voyages he might take! The book probably doesn't last more than a few minutes, but I still heartily recommend it for the little voyager in all of us.

A Favorite with my two year old!
My two year old son loves this book. I have to give some credit to the illustrator, the colors and pictures are fabulous. This book is part of our nightly rotation. The repetition in the story allows my son to feel like he is reading too - he likes to say the parts at the end, "A dolphin jumping free and the sun in the sky and a bird flying by"
I highly recommend this adorable tale.