Off & Away

Description

How would you get mail if you lived in the middle of the sea? It's Jo's dad's job to deliver it, taking bottles wherever they need to go. He always comes home with exciting stories to tell-but Jo is far too afraid to go out on the ocean herself. Until Dad gets a bad sea cold, that is. With no one but Jo to deliver the bottles, she must find her courage and set sail alone. As she embarks on her mission, her fears just might be replaced with new friendships . . . and grand stories of her own. With beautiful, atmospheric art and endearing new characters by author-illustrator Cale Atkinson, this picturebook is a treasure.

Cale Atkinson is an author, illustrator, and animator whose picturebooks include To the Sea and Explorers of the Wild. He lives and works in Canada. Visit Cale online at www.cale.ca or on Twitter @2dCale.

Praise for Off & Away: Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Reading ListOntario Library Association's Best Bets Top Ten ListWSRA Recommendation List PRAISE FOR EXPLORERS OF THE WILD It will be the very stubborn couch potato who doesn't set out, walking stick and bag of essentials in hand, to explore after reading this. PRAISE FOR EXPLORERS OF THE WILD This adorable tale of friendship and exploration is a great buy for every collection. [F]ans will have fun with exploring the pages, whether it is counting fishes, identifying sea life, or wondering what messages are in those bottles. A sweet tale filled with a spunky heroine and seafaring adventure.--Booklist Children whose fears are starting to get the better of them can benefit from Jo's journey; but the tale, which is gorgeously illustrated in bright hues that bring the ocean and its not-so-scary creatures to life, will also appeal to young readers.--SLJ Facing your fears is rarely done with such beguiling whimsy.--Kirkus Reviews The expansive skies shimmer in unearthly tones of red and green, and elaborately rendered creatures sprawl from margin to margin, demonstrating imaginative worldbuilding in full sail.--Publishers Weekly