Review by Booklist Review
In a beautiful opening set amidst a lighthouse, a rocky cliff, a flowering tree, sunshine, and an expanse of water, a small boy Caspian stands alone. He is surrounded by spectacular sea and sky, but what he really wants is a friend. Tired of waiting passively, Caspian takes action by writing his request, putting it into a bottle, and casting it into the waves. Richly textured illustrations combine oil paint, relief print, and charcoal to produce images with a magical quality perfectly suited to the story's dreamy tone. The color palette incorporates the sweeping setting by using light and dark tones from the sea and sky, along with special, shimmering elements. To his delight, Caspian receives a response, and he rows through the night in search of the correspondent. At dawn, he reaches his destination and is met by a polar bear. Caspian's note, Will you be my friend? and the bear's simple reply, Yes! have brought about an extraordinary adventure, and the two journey back home to the lighthouse together.--Lucinda Whitehurst Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
How will a lonely boy in a lighthouse find a friend?Caspian is a self-sufficient young boy who probably ages from 6 to 7 during the story. The opening double-page spread immediately draws readers into Caspian's world of both natural beauty and isolation. Against a stark white background, a lighthouse sits above a sheer cliff of sand and rock. Far below and to the right, the tiny figure of Caspian is visible on a small sliver of land, gazing toward the sea. The opening words inform readers that Caspian lives in the lighthouse. Poetic lines about Caspian's life follow: "Every day, he watches the waves, / wondering, waiting, wishing for a friend." When he gets no results from beaming his lighthouse light, a delightful double-page sequence shows Caspian printing a message on a paper, emptying a translucent green jug of its flowers, and carefully pushing his rolled-up message into it. More lyrical text and dreamlike art follow, as Caspian sends his message out to sea, waits for months, and eventually gets a one-word response. He rows his little boat out under the night sky's constellations, and eventually he meets up with the friend who will bear him back home. The striking, stylized art and text work perfectly together to create a whimsical, nonthreatening story that still has plenty of action and adventurewith the bonus of not one interfering grown-up. Caspian is depicted with pale skin, straight, dark hair, and dark eyes.Bedtime or naptime perfection. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
