Johnny, the Sea, and Me

Starred review from April 1, 2024
Ten-year-old Pedro is small for his age and constantly gets his hair mussed by classmates “as if he’s a little chihuahua”; one disdainful pupil, Ulloa, even bullies him outright. Evading Pedro’s questions about the whereabouts of his father, his mother proffers a trip to a Caribbean island, where Pedro dreams of encountering pirates and exotic sea creatures. Shortly after they arrive, however, a moment of emotional upset sends Pedro running down the beach, and soon he’s lost. An unexpected encounter with gruff Johnny Tay, a solitary beach hermit, nets Pedro experiences with a loquacious parrot, a breadfruit tree, a feast made on a one-burner gas stove, and, beneath Johnny’s brusqueness, true compassion: “There is even good in bad people, and bad in good people,” he tells Pedro. Translator Paulson (Book of Questions) gracefully incorporates hints of magical realism from Colombian writer Escobar (House of Beauty, for adults)—Pedro grows when he’s happy and shrinks when he’s despondent (leaving him, at low moments, swimming in his clothes). Escobar’s compatriot Builes (The Amazing Students of Venezuela) contributes delicately lined artwork to this tale, which ruminates on the healing presence of a figure who lives life on his own terms. Ages 8–12.

May 1, 2024
Pedro is separated from his mother on a trip from Bogot� to a Caribbean island. Smallest in his class and bullied, 10-year-old Pedro is thrilled about the vacation but finds himself wondering if his father's "business trip" is really a permanent estrangement. Manuela and her son are so close that they can read one another's expressions, but Pedro, angry that she's concealed the truth about his father, runs away. Lost and hungry, Pedro is discovered by Johnny Tay, an elderly and irascible island dweller who lets him stay the night in his shanty. Johnny's parrot, Victoria, allegedly 300 years old, regales Pedro with firsthand accounts of the shipboard adventures of Johnny's great-grandfather's great-grandfather, a cook to pirates. During Pedro's absence, Manuela realizes that her maturing son deserves more candor and freedom. Over breakfast, Johnny says that he'll help reunite Pedro and Manuela "in good time." After the two of them go snorkeling and spear-fishing and enjoy a lunch of fresh red snapper, Johnny has begun to repair his motorbike just as Manuela arrives in a police truck. Made up of salient early moments in a boy's coming of age, this Colombian import contains glints of magical realism and a picaresque, albeit parrot-narrated, pirate subplot. Pedro grows and shrinks according to his emotional state, and Escobar's wry musings about treasure--is it the purported pirates' plundered gold, or the island's magnificent, prolific breadfruit tree?--sparkle like the seven-colored sea. Builes' pale, delicate illustrations add humorous touches. Lively and thought provoking. (Fiction. 7-12)

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May 15, 2024
Grades 4-6 It's a straightforward story: 10-year-old Pedro and his mom are vacationing on an island when the boy's mom tells him his father has left the family. Devastated, the boy runs away and is lost. A gruff islander, who may or may not have been a pirate, finds him, takes him in, feeds him, and gives him a place to sleep. The next morning, the islander, Johnny Tay, takes Pedro snorkeling. When they return to shore, the boy is reunited with his mother. Simple, no? Not altogether. The book is enriched by magic realism: Pedro grows when he's happy but shrinks when he's not. Johnny has a 300-year-old parrot, Victoria, who tells Pedro of Johnny's family's piratical past. And the sea is omnipresent, almost a character in itself. Originally published in Colombia, the story is beautifully told in spare language, evidencing the truth that less is more. Pedro and Johnny are well-developed characters, and their warm relationship is nicely realized. The book itself, beautifully designed, is enriched by lovely illustrations by artist Builes. A treasure for readers who love quiet stories.

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