From the award-winning author of The Star in the Forest comes this heart- felt story about learning to cope with anxiety and grief. Out to Sea follows the journey of a young girl named Lara who is so sad after the death of her grandmother that her tears flood her room, her house, her town, and eventually sweep her out to sea. Adrift, she struggles to overcome her sadness until she discovers a pearl at the bottom of the ocean that triggers happy memories of her grandmother and the times they shared. With that pearl tucked in her pocket and the realization that she’s not alone, Lara finds the strength to pick up her oars and row herself back home.
Beautifully illustrated and written with sensitivity, this moving tale of social and emotional learning expresses the experience of anxiety and grief and shows readers how they might ride the waves of emotion without losing perspective.
Reviews
Lovely, touching, and tender… Kellock treats Lara’s despair kindly and with great compassion, employing language and syntax that are gentle and expressive… The sea metaphors are beautifully depicted in the dreamscapes, with swirling dark blues at times of deepest sadness, then glowing golds and pink as Lara begins to heal.
— Kirkus Reviews
Contributors
Helen Kellock
Author
Helen Kellock is an illustrator and artist based in Glasgow with a master’s in illustration from the Glasgow School of Art. Her first book, The Star in the Forest, won the Batsford Prize for children’s illustration in 2018 and she was named Picture Hooks Illustrator of the Year in 2019.
