The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles

Readers will find both consolation and encouragement on every visit to this emotionally resonant, evocative story.

 A winner for those who like sensitive, quiet reads.

K-Gr 2--Every day at the seashore, a man works at a lonely job: finding glass bottles and traveling great distances to deliver the messages they contain. Then he finds a mysterious party invitation, and while attending the event, he discovers connection and community. The heart-tugging, contemplative story is extended in Stead's dreamy, poignant illustrations, which evoke both the foggy landscape and the vulnerable charm of the characters. A perfect pairing of text and art.

The eccentric seaman of the title lives alone in a tumbledown beach cottage: "He had no name. He had no friends. He stank of seaweed," writes Cuevas (Confessions of an Imaginary Friend). By bringing the messages he finds floating in bottles on the waves to nearby villagers, his life gains meaning. Some messages are "written by a quill dipped in sadness," while others "made people quite happy, for a letter can hold the treasure of a clam-hugged pearl." One day he uncorks an invitation to a seashore party. No one claims it, but when he ventures shyly to the beach, those he has served serenade him; he even tries dancing. Caldecott Medalist Stead's (A Sick Day for Amos McGee) ethereal spreads give the characters distinctive, captivating personalities. In one, the Uncorker sits at his table in his fisherman's cap, lost in a dream; in another, an older woman closes her eyes, transported with joy by the letter she receives. The underlying message about learning to see the worth of every person is a treasure. Ages 4-8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)