Swashby and the Sea
Captain Swashby loves the sea, and he loves his life by the sea just as it is. One day, a young girl and her granny move into the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to go away. How does the sea help Swashby open his heart?
English
A Guide to Reading Aloud to Your Child
- Find a comfortable space to read together.
- Slow down and enjoy the illustrations.
- Ask and answer questions together.
- Make reading part of your routine - bedtime is a great time for reading.
- Use these prompts to encourage deeper thinking with your children: "Tell me more, why do you think that?" "How do you know that?" "Interesting, did you notice anything else?"
Phonemic Awareness
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
The first letter in the word Sea is Ss. This letter makes the sound /s/ like silly, sand, and snack. Let’s say that sound together: /s/, /s/, /s/. Point to the Ss in the title. Read the title together, emphasizing the sound /Ss/.
Ask the children to say the word after you. Show them the cover of the book and have them read the word out loud with you as you point under each word.
Vocabulary
serene : free from trouble; calm
comandeered : take by force
battened : a narrow board or strip used for exterior siding in wooden buildings
nuisance : a person or thing that is annoying
trespassing : an act of entering the property of another without permission
vanish : to disappear suddenly from sight
fiddled : to fix or adjust something minor
civilized : having a high level of culture; sophisticated
Questions to Discuss
Why do you think the sand messages and the altered messages in the story were important?
How did Swashby change throughout the story? What do you think Swashby learned in this story?
What do you think would have happened if the original messages stayed in the sand? How do you think the neighbors would have felt? Do you think the story would have ended differently? Why or why not?
How did the girl feel before Swashby dove into the sea? How did she feel after?
Let's Play
Swashby and the Sea is a unique story of intergenerational friendship. Intergenerational friendship means friends across different ages. We see in the story that Swashby was much older than the little girl.
Who is a friend of yours who is older than you (or younger)? Why is this friendship special?
Draw a picture for this friend. How can your picture show how special this person is to you?
If you liked Swashby and the Sea, be sure to check out...
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Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by
Meg Medina
ID: swashby-and-the-sea
