Down to the Sea in Ships (review)
2005; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 59; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2005.0193
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Travel Writing and Literature
ResumoReviewed by: Down to the Sea in Ships Elizabeth Bush Sturges, Philemon Down to the Sea in Ships; illus. by Giles Laroche. Putnam, 2005 [32p] ISBN 0-399-23464-0$16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 3-5 Sturges launches a baker's dozen of nautically themed poems, tacking from past to present (Vikings to vacationers), from types of sea craft to specific ships (schooners and tugs to the Flying Cloud and the Mauritania), and from mariners to ports (Magellan to Puget Sound). Verses are frequently choppy and strained: "Three ships made it through. The new ocean was vast./ Their food and their water failed to last./ They ate leather and weevils, and captured some rain./ He [Magellan] and his crew went almost insane." Although a considerable amount of data finds its way into the verses, some explanatory annotation on seamanship and maritime jargon, or at the very least some dates for the historical material, would have been most welcome. If the text leaves readers hungry for information, Laroche supplies a visual feast for browsers with his painted cut-paper and mixed-media collages. Slightly more restrained than David Wisniewski's work, these grand double-page spreads showcase billowing sails, intricate rigging, lovingly detailed port-city architecture, and even a playful cross section of a lively cruise ship. Kids who want quick tours of famous vessels will probably prefer Patrick O'Brien's The Great Ships (BCCB 2/02), but those simply looking for a whiff of salt air should happily paddle around in these shallower waters. Copyright © 2005 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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