Johnny, the Sea, and Me by Melba Escobar, Elizabeth Builes, and Sara Lissa Paulson - OPTIONAL

Johnny, the Sea, and Me by Melba Escobar, Elizabeth Builes, and Sara Lissa Paulson, 124 pages. Enchanted Lion, 2024. $17. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G Violence: PG (Pirate talk, story about an earring in soup because of a pirate's missing ear) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

10yo Pedro is so excited - his mother is taking him to see the ocean! They are flying to an island in the Caribbean, where he expects the water to be beautiful and to see ocean life he cannot see in Columbia. But when he arrives, and his mother tells him some bad news, Pedro runs, and runs and runs, until he is lost far down the beach. He is discovered by an old man who takes him to his shanty, feeds him dinner and lets him stay the night, where he hears stories of Prirates and adventure, and experiences some adventure of his own. 

Originally published in Spanish, and a Batchelder Honor for 2025, Johnny the Sea and Me contains illustrations, and short chapters. There's an element of magic, both with the old man as well as with Pedro. I wasn't impressed, however, and there were some questionable decisions made by Johnny - like should a lost 10yo willingly go home with a stranger. Johnny and his mother are Columbian. 

Lisa Librarian