Staff Pick
A man delivers the letters he finds in the bottles floating in the sea — and wishes for a letter of his own. With Erin E. Stead’s soft, whimsical art and Michelle Cuevas’s surprisingly poetic language and gentle touch, The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles is a sweet tale of longing and belonging. Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A message in a bottle holds the promise of surprise and wonder, as told in this enthralling picture book by Caldecott Medalist Erin E. Stead.
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles, who lives alone atop a hill, has a job of the utmost importance. It is his task to open any bottles found at sea and make sure that the messages are delivered. He loves his job, though he has always wished that, someday, one of the letters would be addressed to him. One day he opens a party invitation—but there’s no name attached. As he devotes himself to the mystery of the intended recipient, he ends up finding something even more special: the possibility of new friends.
Review
"Caldecott Medalist Stead’s ethereal spreads give the characters distinctive, captivating personalities....The underlying message about learning to see the worth of every person is a treasure." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Stead’s characters exude an endearing vulnerability and quirky charm....A perfect pairing of text and art. Share this quiet story with your wishers and dreamers." School Library Journal, (Starred Review)
Review
"Readers will find both consolation and encouragement on every visit to this emotionally resonant, evocative story." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
About the Author
Michelle Cuevas was born in 1982 in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. She graduated from Williams College and holds a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of Virginia, where she received the Henry Hoyns Fellowship. Michelle is the author of Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier, Beyond the Laughing Sky illustrated by Julie Morstad, and The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant illustrated by Ed Young. Forthcoming books in 2016 and 2017 include The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles illustrated by Erin Stead, Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow illustrated by Sydney Smith, and The Town of Turtle.
Erin Stead is the Caldecott Medal winning illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, also named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2010 (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2010). She and her husband, author and artist Philip Stead, with whom she co-created A Sick Day for Amos McGee and Bear Has a Story to Tell, live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bear Has a Story to Tell was named a Best Children’s Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews. Erin also illustrated And Then It’s Spring written by Julie Fogliano and named a 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and a Best Children’s Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly.