Off & Away

Jo's brawny, tattooed father operates the clearinghouse for all the bottles that have messages in them. The bottles float to Jo's ship-shaped shanty, and her dad sails around the world making sure "every bottle got to the right home." When Dad gets a bad cold, Jo has to overcome her deepest fear--she's convinced the ocean is filled with monsters--and take on the delivery duties. Along the way, she discovers that the ocean is actually full of inhabitants (human and otherwise) who just want connection with the outside world; even the seemingly scariest monster in the remotest corner of the ocean is a real sweetheart who's grateful for company. Gap-toothed Jo's determination and doughtiness are certainly appealing, but it's Atkinson's (Where Oliver Fits) settings and secondary characters that are the real standouts. The expansive skies shimmer in unearthly tones of red and green, and elaborately rendered creatures sprawl from margin to margin, demonstrating imaginative worldbuilding in full sail. Ages 4-7. Agent: Nicole Tugeau, Tugeau 2. (June)

PreS-Gr 2--This affecting tale begins, "Out at sea, there is a place where all the messages in bottles gather." It's Jo's dad's job to gather them and get the messages to their recipients. He always has marvelous adventures and Jo would love to join in, but she's too scared. Her visions of the terrifying creatures that lie in wait below the surface are so over-the-top that she's afraid she'll never return. Jo is forced to face her fears, however, when her dad is too sick to make his deliveries and the bottles are piling up. Of course, every fear the little heroine has turns out to be unfounded, and she even gets to help the creatures she thought so forbidding. Children whose fears are starting to get the better of them can benefit from Jo's journey; but the tale, which is gorgeously illustrated in bright hues that bring the ocean and its not-so-scary creatures to life, will also appeal to young readers. VERDICT An engaging read-aloud and a worthy addition to storytime collections.--Henrietta Verma, Credo Reference, Jackson Heights, NY