“Cork on the Ocean”
Author: Mark Sommerset
Illustrator: Rowan Sommerset
Published by: Dreamboat Books
Age Range: 2 – 5 years
Theme: Friendship, discovery, hope
Opening page: “Somewhere between the blue and the green, further than far can be, A little brown cork was riding the wind, bobbing along on the sea.”
Synopsis: Book one of a series about a brave little Cork who rides the waves befriending a butterfly, rides a seahorse, evades a shark and meets a wise whale who shares the secret of staying afloat. Beautifully illustrated and told in rhyme it tells of courage, friendship, and joy of positive thought.
Why I like this: Mark’s musically rhyming text is fun to read aloud and one cannot help but be carried along on the waves with Cork as you turn the page to discover who or what he meets up with next. Rowan’s talent of producing clean clear lines in the colours of sand and the deep blue/green of the sea gives depth and the impression it’s a bit rough out there. As Mark said in his recent interview with me, Rowan is a “less is more” kind of girl. This timeless story will be enjoyed by young and old.
Resources: Read Mark’s interview with me here and check out his website: . http://www.dreamboatbooks.com/
This website is fantastic for discovering sealife above and below the ocean, with links to blogs, photos, books etc…. http://ocean.si.edu/?gclid=CNOa35flibACFQ4rpAoduFk1Ow
A great website for crafts and printouts….. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/Oceanlife.shtml
A fun website of games, videos and activities about the ocean….. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/activities/new/ocean/ I loved playing snippys adventure.
For more books with resources please visit the lovely author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books. Her blog is full of resources links and activities associated with the books reviewed by many authors.
Note: Don’t forget to leave a comment on the previous post of Mark’s interview, to be in the draw to win the autographed copy of Cork on the Ocean.
Writer and Dreamer at work 
Ooh this sounds lovely and imaginative Diane. i ought to read it since I have a pb about Ice Fish. I’ll pick up some water lingo 😉
LOL… cool. Thankyou Catherine. I sat here yesterday as I was drafting the review and thinking how amazing to be creative enough to write a story using a “cork” as your protagonist!
This is a fun story and I loved the interview post.
Thankyou Stacy glad you enjoyed it.
The book sounds delightful. I’m glad it isn’t as scary as the life experience that prompted it!
Thankyou Beth!
Great choice, can’t wait to pick this one up for my littles!
Thankyou for your comment illustrationjunky, hope you manage to find one.
Looks fabulous! Now I’ll have to go back and read the interview too.
Cool, you will find the interview very interesting. Thanks Julie.
This looks lovely, Diane. I enjoyed your interview with Mark the other day, and this book looks like a good one. I really like the cover – so simple and cute!
Thankyou Susanna. Pleased you enjoyed the interview. Isn’t Rowan’s illustrations lovely?
Sounds like a lovely book. Will have to see where I can find it. Just read the interview, great job!
Hope you manage to pick one up…. or get lucky enough in the draw. All the best and thanks Darshana.
Love the opening!!! Great review Diane – can’t wait to read this one 🙂
Thankyou Jennifer, glad you like it.
Rowan being such a great name it is no wonder the illustrations are marvelous! lol
LOL…. of course…lol. glad you like it Julie.
I love that this story is about an inanimate object. I can imagine Sommerset must be a skilled author to make this story so clever and fun.
Yes, that was what I was thinking when I read it and then reread it for the review…. amazing how he did that. Thanks Kirsten for your comment.
Sounds like a lovely book. thanks for the introduction
sandi
rubber boots and elf shoes
Your welcome sandi. Nice to have you here.
The cork looks really cute and really friendly! I would love to see what happens to him at sea! 😉
I think you will love the book Erik. Cork has a real adventure out on the high seas…lol.
The opening lines are lovely. Thank you, Diane.
Thankyou Heather…. enjoy!
Absolutely beautiful rhyme…this book is definitely a winner and a wonderful choice for PPBF…thanks for the great reveiw and FANTASTIC list of resources. Much appreciated, Diane. 😉
Thankyou Vivian, glad you enjoyed. it.
Who would’ve ever thought about writing a book about a cork? What a creative, wonderful idea!
I agree with you… amazing creative writing! Glad you liked it Penny.