Swashby and the Sea

Beth Ferry lives by the beach in New Jersey where she loves scanning the shore for sea glass. In addition to sea glass, Beth has found countless shells, mermaid purses, and a few sand dollars. She often finds tennis balls and brings them home to the delight of her two bulldogs. Through the years, Beth has also picked up boatloads of trash. She is the author of many picture books including Stick and Stone, The Scarecrow, and The Peddler of Puddles. Sea Glass Girls is her first novel in verse. You can learn more at bethferry.comJuana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor and was also published in a Spanish edition as Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre. Her second author-illustrator book, Zonia's Rain Forest, is available in a Spanish edition La selva de Zonia. Juana has also illustrated numerous picture books including La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, and Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won The Robert F. Sibert Medal. Website: juanamartinezneal.comInstagram: @juanamartineznTwitter: @juanamartinez

"With charming and playful illustrations and diverse characters by Juana Martinez-Neal, and a snappy sweet narrative by Beth Ferry, this story moves our hearts and reminds us to stay open to new friends and ideas, and be present in life’s moments of adventure." —The Washington Post  ★ "The illustrator of the Caldecott Honor–winning Alma and How She Got Her Name (2018), Martinez-Neal uses acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite to create pictures that capture the feel of the seaside, as well as the protagonist’s shifting emotions. Telling a story with imagination and wit, Ferry creates a cantankerous but lovable character in Captain Swashby and a mysterious, well-intentioned, mischievous one in the sea...an exceptionally satisfying picture book." —Booklist, STARRED review   ★ "This readaloud is sweetly told as Swashby overcomes his bitter habits to welcome new, friendly, and energetic people into his quiet life....Martinez-Neal’s art captures the essence of the ocean.... Adults should prepare for a trip to the beach, as kids will want to go after hearing this." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED review   "This sweet story of friendship is sure to win over even the grumpiest of listeners." —Kirkus  "Caldecott Honoree Martinez-Neal’s acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite drawings teeter between scenes curmudgeonly and sweet, underscoring the story’s tensions. A strong sense of place emerges from the palette, redolent of sunlit sand and sea glass, and the interplay between Swashby and his meddling sea has its magic." —Publishers Weekly —