by Taro Gomi
Translated by Chronicle Books from the Japanese
Published by U.S. edition: Chronicle Books, 2016
32 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4515-0
Ages 3-6
“What is over the ocean? Maybe there is more ocean over the ocean.” A small girl standing on the shore of a seemingly endless sea ponders what might be on the other side. Farms? Cities full of tall buildings or small houses? Kids? If so, what might they be like? Are there animals she’s never seen, or a fair with fun rides? Is there night, and stars, or a country made of ice? Maybe there’s a beach, like the one she’s standing on. And perhaps that beach has a person just like her, wondering what’s out there. The girl’s thoughts are expressed through a spare narrative paired with lush-hued, clean-lined illustrations that convey the expansiveness of her imagination, and the rich possibilities of the wider world. Every page spread is anchored by the warm teal blue of the sea and her small figure, gazing out at all she sees in her mind’s eye. “I wish I could go there,” she thinks at book’s end. And one way or another, it seems certain she will, even if only in her dreams for now. ©2016 Cooperative Children’s Book Center