Town Is by the Sea

LoveReading4Kids Says

Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2018 |  This haunting book, beautifully illustrated in ink and watercolour, bears record to a long-gone way of life. A young boy describes his day, from first thing in the morning when his father leaves for work, though playtime, lunch, shopping and his father’s return as evening falls.

His descriptions are matter of fact, events presented as they happen, and the sea is a constant. It’s always there, visible from the house and playground, and the boy thinks of his father under the sea at work in the mines. Scenes underground are black and oppressive, forming a sharp contrast with the other pages, bathed in sunlight, the sea sparkling in the background.

The boy accepts he’ll follow his father and grandfather into the mines: ‘I’m a miner’s son,’ he says, ‘In my town, that’s the way it goes.’ A book that demands to be studied and thought about. ~ Andrea Reece

LoveReading4Kids

About Town Is by the Sea

Stunning illustrations by Sydney Smith, the award-winning illustrator of Footpath Flowers, show the striking contrast between a sparkling seaside day and the darkness underground where the miners dig. This beautifully understated and haunting story brings a piece of mining history to life. The ever-present ocean and inevitable pattern of life in a mining town will enthral children and move adult readers, as a young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather's grave after lunch and comes home to a cosy dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea.

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