![]() ![]() ![]() Through the day the boy is aware that “deep down under that sea, my father is digging for coal.” This repeated phrase accompanies the black spreads, the last underwater one in which the father and his colleagues are no longer visible.īeautiful double paged watercolor seascapes. ![]() Five full double paged spreads mostly black, deep under the sea. I think about the bright days of summer and the dark tunnels underground. The seamless continuity of life (and death) is reinforced towards the ends with the words: The author and illustrator achieve this with this simple slice of life text, with moments playing on the broken swings and visiting grandad’s grave with a sea view (also a minor, of course). The patterns of repeated phrases and scenes, and the dominating presence of the ocean in all its moods is somehow mystical and concrete at the same time. Set in the 50’s, in a Cape Breton mining town by the sea, this simple story of a boy and his family’s day to day life, with its ever present dangers is haunting and moving. This is a gem of a story, both the text and illustrations. ![]() It goes like this-house, road, grassy cliff, sea.Ī young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather’s grave after lunch and comes home to a simple family dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea. Themes: under the sea mining, Cape Breton, coal towns, dangerous jobs, historical fiction ![]()
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