Cam is a young mountain boy who longs to see the sea. One day, he spots a trickle of water running along the snowy forest floor. In a soft voice, it beckons him to follow it to the sea.Cam happily obliges and as the journey continues, the trickle turns into a creek, which runs into a waterfall, which leads to a stream, which flows into a river and leads to the sea. The journey is eye-opening and exciting, full of new people and places. Cam is on the adventure of a lifetime. When he finally returns to his mountain home, he marvels that he never knew that his tiny trickle is actually the beginning of the sea. Well suited for elementary-aged students, this is a beautiful picture book that tells the story of how various bodies of water come together and eventually lead to the ocean. Readers will learn a lot as they observe the way that the landscape changes as the water moves through the mountains to a town, on to a wharf, and then to the sea. The illustrations are rich and exquisitely display how fertile the land is because of the gift of the water. VERDICT The descriptive language draws readers in and envelops them in the story. A perfect choice for young naturalists and budding scientists interested in the water cycle.--School Library Journal-- "Journal" A curious mountain boy follows a trickle of water all the way to the sea.Young Cam tells his grandfather that he wishes he could see the sea. 'One day we will go there, ' is the reply. One spring morning, Cam notices a rivulet trickling through the pine woods. 'Come with me, ' the trickle sings to him. 'I will take you to the sea.' Cam follows the trickle, which joins a creek and runs down the mountainside. The creek meets a stream, where trout leap and beckon Cam. The stream becomes a river that flows through farms with ducks and cows and dogs and then a town. Frogs in the river encourage Cam to continue his journey. The river widens, full of ships big and small. The river sings to Cam, who runs past some wharves and onto the sand dunes. He has reached the sea! It's 'wild and blue and beautiful...and it [goes] on forever, ' and it sings the grandest song of all. Back home that night, Cam tells his grandfather about his adventure, and grandfather again replies, 'One day we will go there'--leaving readers to wonder whether Cam's adventure was real or imaginary. Regardless, Cowley neatly modulates Cam's adventure, sentences that build and accrete like that rivulet taking readers on the journey. Andrews' diverse landscapes are solidly composed, shifting angles but maintaining an earthy, muted palette.A lovely homage to nature.'--Kirkus Reviews-- "Journal" A child who lives in the mountains wishes to see the sea. His grandfather promises to take him someday, but the impatient boy starts out alone. He follows a snowy brook, singing, 'Come with me. Come with me. I will take you to the sea, ' and trailing the water as it broadens to a creek, a waterfall, and a wide river. Here, he is caught up in the bustle of an industrial town and thinks that the river has ceased its seaward movement. Beckoned by the waters once again, he continues on, finally finding himself before the expansive ocean, which sings to him of salt and 'secret places where whales/ give birth to their young, ' of wharves and waterfalls. With graceful, rhyming poetry, Cowley articulates the connectedness of nature, while Andrews renders the rush and earnestness of the boy's journey through striated light, city smoke, and the broad, blue sea.--Publishers Weekly-- "Journal"
