Mama, Across The Sea From Publishers Weekly: This poignant tale captures a time of sadness, waiting and hope in the life of Cecile, a young island girl whose mother has left home in order to work. Cecile fills the long days of waiting for her mother's return by watching her grandfather mend his fishing nets, teaching her grandmother to write and gathering shells to send to her mother to make her want to come home. Godard, who was born in Guadeloupe and now lives in France, shows Cecile walking by herself along a beach of breathtaking beauty, visiting a fisherman and generally exhibiting a freedom of movement that many children would envy. When her mother writes that she has no days off and won't be coming to see her this year, Cecile cradles her head in her lap, her grief palpable to the viewer. Godard's story and his impressionistic paintings suggest the lush bounty and the struggle, resilience and dreams of Cecile's community. Cecile is last seen preparing to leave the island for the first time in order to visit her mother, ending the story on a note both somber and joyful. Ages 4-8. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 3-Oversized pages depict the lush Caribbean setting in which Cecile lives with her grandparents. Her mother works on the mainland, and her father disappeared at sea. Readers follow the child as she tries to keep busy-watching her grandfather repair fishing nets, reading mail to her grandmother and helping her paper the walls of the house with catalog pages, and making a picture with shells-but the her loneliness is palpable. She listens with sadness to a storyteller recount the tale of two brothers out fishing, one of whom followed a siren's call and was never seen again. While Cecile's mother cannot leave her new job, she does arrange, in the end, for her daughter to visit her. This story of intergenerational love amid the realities of life is sure to strike a chord with children who miss a loved one for any reason, but those with working parents will immediately relate to the feelings of the winsome heroine. The full-page illustrations have a soft focus and are rendered in a tropical palette. Wavy gray lines, simulating waves, create a bottom border on pages of text; small details decorate the top margins. Visually, the story can be appreciated by a group; emotionally, it is more satisfying in an intimate setting. A quiet treasure.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistCecile lives with her grandparents and dreams of the day when she will be reunited with her mother, who has journeyed across the sea in search of employment. Hoping to get her mother to come home, Cecile decides to draw a picture of a blue sky and a big yellow sun. All around the picture she glues shells and pink sand. After mailing it, she anxiously awaits a reply. In the meantime life goes on. The girl tries to teach her grandmother to read; her fisherman grandfather mends his nets; the village storyteller offers a story. And then, one day, a letter arrives from across the sea. The pace of the story--originally published in France--is slow, and its individual elements never quite cohere. But the quality of island life (presumably Guadeloupe, where Godard was born) is well realized, and the book is beautifully designed. Moreover, its large format offers an expansive canvas for Godard's richly colored single-and double-page pictures of Cecile's breeze-kissed island world. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Product DescriptionA gentle story of a young island girl waiting for her mother to come home from work, far away on the mainland.
Cecile lives on an island in the West Indies with her grandparents while her mother looks for work on the mainland. Much as she loves her grandparents, Cecile is lonely, and spends her days waiting for her mother to return from across the sea.
As the summer passes, Cecile teaches her grandmother to read and write. She listens to the village storyteller’s tales of the sea, and makes a beautiful picture with shells and sand to remind Mama of home. At long last, a letter comes for Cecil, and she crosses the sea to visit the Mama she has missed so much. About the AuthorAlex Godardwas born in 1965 in Guadeloupe. He is a designer and professor of illustration in Lyon, France, where he lives.
George Wenlives in New York City and works in children’s book publishing. Book is clean and in good condition. The jacket is intact, has slight tear and the slightest sign of wear.
| 
