Sea Glass Summer

Author Michelle Houts and illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline explore the magic of one of the seaside’s greatest wonders and the bonds that link us through time.

One summer, a boy named Thomas visits his grandmother at her seaside cottage. She gives him a magnifying glass that once belonged to his grandfather, and with it Thomas explores the beach, turning grains of sand into rocks and dark clamshells into swirling mazes of black, gray, and white. When his grandmother shows him a piece of sea glass, Thomas is transfixed. That night he dreams of an old shipyard and the breaking of a bottle. Could the very piece of sea glass on his nightstand have come from that bottle? For the rest of the summer, he searches for more sea glass and hopes to have dreams that will reveal more of the sea’s secrets. A stunning ode to stories and the seaside, this picture book invites readers to imagine the ocean of possibility that lives in every small or forgotten treasure.

“These masterful, moving watercolor pictures transmit feelings and features so faithfully they feel somehow deeply personal...When a present-day girl hands her Papaw Tom a piece of clear sea glass she finds, one that could have come from a broken magnifying glass decades before, the past and present converge. Thomas and his family all present white. A celebration of small miracles. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Sea Glass Summer , written by Michelle Houts and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, is a beautifully depicted story about family, discovery and the mysteries of nature...Ibatoulline's gorgeous, realistic illustrations capture the fine details of the natural world and Thomas' sense of excitement. Readers will be intrigued by this tale and the lessons it imparts about being attentive to the wonders of the great outdoors. --BookPage First, to the beach with 'Sea Glass Summer' (Candlewick, 30 pages, $16.99) by Michelle Houts, a serene and thought-provoking picture book about time and transformation as told through the interlocked stories of two children. --The Wall Street Journal”

These masterful, moving watercolor pictures transmit feelings and features so faithfully they feel somehow deeply personal...When a present-day girl hands her Papaw Tom a piece of clear sea glass she finds, one that could have come from a broken magnifying glass decades before, the past and present converge. Thomas and his family all present white. A celebration of small miracles.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Sea Glass Summer, written by Michelle Houts and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, is a beautifully depicted story about family, discovery and the mysteries of nature...Ibatoulline’s gorgeous, realistic illustrations capture the fine details of the natural world and Thomas’ sense of excitement. Readers will be intrigued by this tale and the lessons it imparts about being attentive to the wonders of the great outdoors.
—BookPage

First, to the beach with ‘Sea Glass Summer’ by Michelle Houts, a serene and thought-provoking picture book about time and transformation as told through the interlocked stories of two children.
—The Wall Street Journal

Michelle Houts became fascinated with sea glass while visiting the coast of Maine each summer. She is the author of When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike, illustrated by Erica Magnus, and the STEM-based chapter-book series Lucy’s Lab, illustrated by Elizabeth Zechel. Michelle Houts is also the author of the middle-grade novel Winterfrost. She lives in Ohio.

Bagram Ibatoulline has illustrated many acclaimed books for children, including The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Great Joy, both by Kate DiCamillo; and The Hawk of the Castle by Danna Smith. Bagram Ibatoulline lives in Chichester, New York.

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