1 Hello Ocean

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Spaghetti Book Club - Book Reviews by Kids for Kids

Hello Ocean

Written by Pam Ryan

Illustrated by Mark Astrella


Reviewed by Claire D. (age 10)


Hello Ocean

Have you ever heard the crashing of the waves against the shore or felt the coarse sand and slimy seaweed rub between your toes? If you have, you can relate to the book Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan. In this book Mrs. Ryan takes us on a journey to the beach. You can let your imagination soar, as you experience the rushing waves the open blue sky, and the sweet suntan lotion. You will definitely feel like you have spent a day on the sandy coast after reading this book.

In this book, I think that the authors writing style is unique. She uses a lot of similes and metaphors. For example, when she says "I hear the ocean, a lions roar crashing rumors towards the shore" I could get a good picture in my head of noisy waves hitting the sandy beach. This is a great descriptive metaphor. I also really liked the illustrations of this book. I thought the illustrator put a lot of detail and effort into his pictures. They make you feel like you are actually at the beach. He used many different shades of blue and green. They almost seem 3 dimentional. I think this book is realistic fiction. A girl could go to the beach and experience all the different activities there are to do there. As I said before, as I was reading I felt like I was there. Hello Ocean has a very serene pacing. The story does not rush like an action movie. It is peaceful and calm. Hello Ocean is truly a beautiful book worth reading.

I would recommend this book to artists because it has many beautiful pictures and description. The illustrator worked hard to make the reader feel at the beach. Artists would enjoy this book because they would love all the pictures. They could see the details and effort put into the paintings. I would also recommend this book to anyone who loves the beach. They will find things in this book that are familiar to them. Beach lovers will be able to relate to this book because they most likely have experienced the things Pam Munoz Ryan writes about.