A Place Like the Sea is a touching story that beautifully captures the bond between children and marine animals. The story follows a little boy who adores marine creatures. During an outing with his parents, he accidentally gets separated from them and finds himself wandering alone in a place that resembles the sea. Along the way, he encounters many marine animals who, like him, are lost and searching for their homes.

“You looked at me, and I looked at you intently, as if I could hear the secrets in your heart.” The boy’s journey is filled with deep emotions and connections as he accompanies the lost animals, seeking a way out and his parents. “Where are mum and dad? I can’t hear their voices, and no one hears me!”

This picture book masterfully captures the characters’ emotions and integrates the aesthetics of “unsaid words” and clever puns between images and text. It offers readers a philosophical reflection on life, empathy for all beings, and touches the hearts of both adults and children, delving into core life issues.

Bernie Lin, the talented author and illustrator of A Place Like the Sea, dreamed of becoming a veterinarian due to his love for animals. Today, he pours his passion into creating picture books. A Place Like the Sea won the “Children’s Book of the Year” at the 2020 Taiwan OPENBOOK Good Book Award. Bernie lives by the motto, “You can’t move forward without creating something first.” He believes, “Only when you take everything seriously can you treat others from the heart and live seriously. Even insignificant actions, over time, become nourishment. Because I care about children, I can turn anything into a story from a child’s perspective at any time.”

A Place Like the Sea skillfully weaves together the perspectives of children and animals, showing us how diminutive lives can support one another and revealing the possibilities of life. Bernie tells stories from a first-person perspective, while his illustrations offer an omniscient view. Rich in clever puns, the pictures and texts invite readers to hear the characters’ voices and see their situations. This book not only explores delicate childhood emotions, family bonds, and the close relationship between children and animals but also expands our imagination of life, leaving readers profoundly moved.

A Place Like the Sea

Original title: 一個像海的地方

Written by Bernie Lin

2020, Yuan Liu Publishing

ISBN: 9789573288480

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

‘一個像海的地方’. 博客來, https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010864600. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

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Meet Wen Wu: a versatile creator, advocate of children’s literature, connoisseur of picture book aesthetics, and fervent champion of literature. She appreciates the innocence and honesty of children, though occasionally she finds herself uneasy towards the bluntness of others. Her reverence for nature extends to all living beings, those seen and unseen. A life enriched by novels, poems, movies, paintings, stories, and writing fuels her passion. Amidst the complexities of adulthood, she strives to preserve the innocence and boundless imagination of childhood. You can find Wen on her Facebook page or via wenchunwu1227@gmail.com 

Curator & Translator 

Eleanor Duggan is a passionate children’s book reader, a storytelling enchantress, an aspiring globetrotter, a part-time book crafter, and an impassioned foodie who is a cooking disaster. She is more known as an international school teacher-librarian and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) Regional Director for East Asia. She is a Taiwanese with a Belgian soul and is currently enjoying her life as a citizen of the world with her daughter and their 2 one-of-a kind cats. You may find her via The Third Culture Librarian 

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