Surf War!: A Folktale from the Marshall Islands
by Margaret Read MacDonald (Author) Geraldo Valerio (Illustrator)
A Folktale from the Marshall Islands. Surfs up!
Sandpiper finds her daily stroll on the beach interrupted by Whale, who boasts that he is ruler of the sea. Sandpiper responds with equal bravado, asserting her rights to the sand and seawater. Soon the rivals are calling in their cousins, and the beach and sea are filled with shorebirds and sea mammals of every stripe. The standoff grows ominous as Whale leads his cousins in an assault on the beach, eating the sand from under the birds. Sandpiper retaliates by ordering her cousins to drink up the ocean. Soon the landscape is filled with fish, crabs, and sea creatures gasping for survival. How will this end? The outcome of this timely yet timeless nature tale suggests that we are all connected in the ecological chain.
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School Library Journal
K-Gr 2 - Sandpiper, who waits for the waves to deliver her meal of minnows, is confronted by angry Whale. He fancies himself the ruler of the sea and is furious with Sandpiper for invading his territory. After she points out that there are more sandpipers than whales, Whale insists that his kind outnumber the birds. He calls forth all of his brothers while Sandpiper shouts for her sisters. After no one can tell which side has more, Whale requests that his cousins come to the island: the dolphins, orcas, and porpoises. Sandpiper likewise calls, and flamingos, pelicans, egrets, and terns all appear. Still, no one can tell who has more. Whale commands his kind to eat up the land, while Sandpiper and the other birds drink up the sea. This turns out to be a losing proposition for both parties, who decide that they must all share their resources. The illustrations dominate the pages, with the birds and their backgrounds painted with bright shades of yellow, pink, and orange, while the sea and its creatures are deeper blues, grays, and purples. This charming story provides a moral about getting along with others and caring for the environment."Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library"
Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Margaret Read MacDonald's most recent books include The Boy from the Dragon Palace and How Many Donkeys?An Arabic Counting Tale. She lives in Washington where she works as a Children's Librarian and maps out her whimsical tales. Sachiko Yoshikawa moved to the United States from Japan in 1988 to study art. She has illustrated numerous books for young readers, such as Beach is to Fun (named Best Children's book of the Year by the Bank Street College of Education) and What is Science? (a finalist in the Children's Science Picture Book category of the 2007 SB&F Prize).
Ecology
