Sea Crow

Martha Lamon is a freelance writer and researcher based in Huntsville,
Ontario.

Jessica and her brother Miles have moved into a new house by the beach
and are experiencing fears and anxieties about their new life. Miles
fears things like boxes, pickles, and tennis balls (which may draw
laughter from the young reader, but also admiration for Miles’s
unashamed openness). Jessica’s fears (which are revealed to the reader
only at the end of the book) are more complex; she finds comfort in
exploring the beach. Eventually Jessica, Miles, and their friend Alicia
make a sea crow out of objects they find on the beach. Jessica says that
when you tell a sea crow your fears, she helps you feel better. Having
shared her fears with the whimsical creature Sea, Jessica is able to
confront them. She goes to school in shorts and exposes her artificial
leg to her classmates.

The story unfolds in an understated and graceful fashion. What Jessica
fears and her eventual ability to overcome it are heartwarming.
Stewart’s strategic choice to wait until the end of the story for the
revelation allows readers to see themselves in Jessica before they are
made aware of her differentness. Milkau’s gentle pastel watercolour
illustrations help to convey the sensitivity of the storyline.

In all, this lovely picture book would make an excellent addition to
any home, school, or community library, and it would be a good choice
for group settings to stimulate discussions about differences between
people. Highly recommended.