Town Is by the Sea

K-Gr 3--This first-person narrative portrays a day in the life of a loving family in a seaside mining town. As the tale begins, Schwartz lays the foundation for a comparison of the boy's daily routines, illuminated by sunshine, with the father's world underground. The rhythm is established and continued at logical junctures with the protagonist's introductory words: "It goes like this..." He then describes what he notices when he awakens, swings with his friend, eats a bologna sandwich, and visits the grave of his grandfather--also a miner. As the boy gazes at the sparkling water or basks in the light pouring through the diaphanous bedroom curtain, he is cognizant that "deep down under that sea, my father is digging for coal." These phrases are also repeated periodically as the blackness that occupies most of the related spreads presses down on--and eventually eclipses--a small border depicting the father and coworker crawling through the mines. The voice is matter-of-fact, without judgment, and self-aware. Readers are left to draw their own conclusions. As in Smith's illustrations for Jo Ellen Bogart's The White Cat and the Monk, the ink and watercolor scenes are characterized by companionable relationships and strong brushwork; effectively evoking the story's subject and qualities, the blackness forms shadows, window frames, silhouettes, outlines around objects (heavier around the father's teacup than the mother's), and, at the family dinner, a tangled mass under the table.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

In an authoras note, Schwartz (Pinny in Summer explains that until the 1950s, boys who grew up in Canadian coal towns knew that their futures lay at the bottom of their local mine. Her young narrator takes readers through a typical day, describing a quiet, unchanging life. Smithas (The White Cat and the Monk expressive, evocative spreads contrast the light-soaked landscape above with the night-black mine below, and the boyas varied activities with his fatheras fixed routine. In the morning, the boy stands in his underwear and gazes out the window toward the sea. A page turn reveals inky darkness: aAnd I know my father is already deep down under that sea, digging for coal.a The boy plays and does errands as his father toils far below. aOne day, a the boy concludes, ait will be my turn.... In my town, thatas the way it goes.a In Schwartzas lyrical, wistful account, thereas no sense of injustice or complainta only a note of resignation. Itas a sensitive way of helping readers understand that, for some, the idea of choosing a career is a luxury. Ages 5a 9. Illustratoras agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Apr.) Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

About Town Is by the Sea

New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award
New York Times Notable Children's Books 2017
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
School Library Journal Best Books 2017
Kirkus Best Picture Books 2017

Horn Book Fanfare 2017
CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal short-list
ALSC Notable Children's Books
Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year
Cooperative Children's Book Center Best of the Year

"This quietly devastating book ... stirs timeless, elemental emotions." — The New York Times

"Hauntingly beautiful." — Booklist, starred review

"A quiet book that will stay with readers long after they have closed it." — Kirkus, starred review

"Art and text meld for a powerful glimpse at a way of life that begs inspection." — School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a moving story, and a fine example of text and pictures in perfect harmony." — Horn Book, starred review

"Smith's expressive, evocative spreads contrast the light-soaked landscape above with the night-black mine below ... a sensitive way of helping readers understand that, for some, the idea of choosing a career is a luxury." — Publishers Weekly

"This is one of the most beautiful picture books you'll see this year. It's picture book-making at its very best." — BookPage

"Exquisitely rendered, it's a subtle day in the life title ... This is, in short, a magnificent book." — Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse 8 Production

"A powerful and profound work of art that tweaks our perspective and transcends its subject." — Shelf Awareness

About Pinny in Summer

"Whether used as a read-aloud or a bridge between early readers and chapter books, a serene treat." — Kirkus Reviews

About Sidewalk Flowers

"An emotionally moving, visually delightful ode to the simple powers of observation and empathy. . . . A book to savor slowly and then revisit again and again." — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

About The White Cat and the Monk

"The watercolor-and-ink artwork has both heft and humor, especially in the joyful depictions of the manuscripts...Readers who consider the story's underlying messages about necessities, companionship, and fulfillment will come away enriched." — Booklist, STARRED REVIEW