Bea's Book Nook: Bea Reviews Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris van Dusen

Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: local library
Release Date: March 25, 2011
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble |
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Blurb from goodreads:

With enough lunch for three, Mr. Magee and his dog Dee head out to the sea. But what begins as a fun day in the sun turns a bit bumpy when one playful whale decides to say hello. Soon the crew that once was floating finds themselves flying! How will they get down? Who will come to their rescue? And when will they ever get to eat lunch? Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee is a great read-aloud, sure to provide fits of giggles.

Bea's Thoughts:

I've read a few of Van Dusen's books at the schools where I've taught but what I didn't realize at first was that he was from my home town. My home town has produced several author/illustrators of children's books and I enjoy reading them when I come across their books. This was available in my library's ebook collection so I downloaded it to my Kindle Fire.

"Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee" has a humorous story, that's just a bit over the top, a rhyming flowing text, and bright, beautifully detailed illustrations. I absolutely love the page, at 37% in my Kindle, where we get an aerial view of Mr. Magee's boat. He and the dog Dee are powering along in their boat, unaware that a playful whale is directly underneath. We the reader however see the whale's shadow and it is exquisitely rendered. Using contrasting shades of blue for the sea, the whale's body and its shadow, the effect is like looking at abstract art; then you look again, maybe angling the book or your head and realize what you're seeing. That illustration sold me on the book and I was already enjoying it.

"Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee" is a delightful fun story of a man, his dog and their encounter with a whale and it's pod. Children and adults alike will enjoy the pace, the details, the absurdity, and the normalcy which the absurdity is grounded in. Go, read, smile, enjoy.