Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This quiet story begins in darkness. It depicts a sleepy town, which is dim and dreary day and night in winter. Gigot's dark landscape is softened by the patches of snow on mountainsides and rooftops and the light within buildings, giving a sense of the sweetness to come. Seb, a resourceful child, spends his dark days searching for treasures with his friend Walrus, while enjoying honey sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Not much happens in these first pages; illustrations present the landscape and Seb's treasure hunting. The busiest spread shows his neighbors at work: mining, knitting, and carving. Then Seb gets an idea. With supplies from his friends and Walrus' help, he sets out on an adventure to catch sunshine and share it. Gigot's illustrations advance the story, providing details beyond the simple text. Seb wears a Viking helmet as he journeys across the Nordic setting, and the interior of his room, his paintings, and his collections provide more details about his personality. Despite the prevalent darkness, this is a story that always feels warm. For many young American readers, it provides a new perspective, and a quiet lesson about the sweetness of a hero who shares his treasure when he gains it. The end pages, like Seb himself, are full of sunshine.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this gently mysterious companion to Mae and the Moon, Gigot introduces Seb, a child in a village "so far north that the sun did not shine in winter and the days were cold, dreary, and dark as night." Gigot's story quickly takes a fantastical turn. Seb-who wears Viking-style horns-and his beachcombing companion, a walrus, go in search of the sun. They first consult town residents for supplies: miners for rope, an elderly lady for yarn, Old Bruce Brewster for fishing line, and Mr. and Mrs. Muktuk for a bucket. In dreamlike sequences rendered in stormy blues and grays accented by the Northern Lights, the pair rows a boat into the bay. They toss out their bucket, which eventually fills with a dusty, golden light. Back home, they pour the light into bottles and share the lanternlike results with the people of the village. Gigot integrates Native American coastal art motifs, suggesting that this evocative and visually sumptuous story is set in Northern Canada or Alaska. Ages 4-7. Agent: Wendi Gu, Janklow & Nesbit. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Seb is a young boy who loves the sun, but, he lives in the far north country, where it is dark, cold, and dreary for much of the year. Nonetheless, Seb and his companion, Walrus, enjoy their days combing the beach for treasures, especially for empty bottles washed ashore. The dark blue hues and interesting perspectives of the illustrations manage to make this forbidding environment appear quite sweet and inviting. Fed up with the cold, Seb and Walrus set out to find the sun, a theme reminiscent of traditional literature. He brings bottles of sunlight back to the town and warms everyone's heart. Gigot's illustrations capture the personality of this tiny mining and fishing community, especially when it is aglow with the warmth of the sun. VERDICT A beautifully calming story perfect for bedtime reading.-Susan Small, Salve Regina University Library, Newport, RI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Seb's coastal village lies so far north the sun doesn't shine during winter, making even daytime beach treasure hunts with his walrus companion "cold, dreary, and dark as night." Wearing his distinctive, Viking-horned winter hat, Seb sets out to find some sun for his small but diverse community. Little, pale Seb greets local friends: "old Bruce Brewster," a darker-skinned, bearded fisherman; a bespectacled white knitter named Mrs. Vandermuss; a mixed group of miners sipping soup and coffee; and Mr. and Mrs. Muktuk, cued as Pacific Northwest Native Americans who wear furred parkas and carve totem poles. These neighbors provide pockets of warmth, light, and encouragement. Similarly, Gigot's artwork, while overcast, provides engrossing details in street and window vignettes, with patches of lemony yellows and arctic whites contributing buoying moments of firelight, lamplight, and snow. The text, set in a candlelight yellow, glows on inky backgrounds. Readers might squint at what seem at first to be gloomy, digitally painted pencil illustrations, but they will soon feel lifted in noting people of varying skin tones, occupations, and ages, all engaged in productive work. Seb feels his work is to find sunlight for his neighbors, even if it means rowing all the way out to sea. Some might find the ending contrived, but it's hard not to feel warmed by a luminous resolution so full of love.Otherworldly but with luminous pictures of a remote community. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
