The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles lived a quiet and solitary life beside the sea, opening bottles and delivering the messages contained therein. His wish for a letter of his own seemed destined to go unfulfilled, until an invitation to a seaside party arrived with no name attached. In the process of trying to determine to whom he should deliver the invitation, the Uncorker ended up alerting the entire village to the theoretical party. When said villagers decided to attend, the party, which until that point existed only in the words of the anonymous invitation, became a reality on the shore near the Uncorker's home...

A lovely book, one which pairs a gentle, heartfelt tale with absolutely gorgeous illustrations, The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles show more is a title that rewards a slow, leisurely reading. I enjoyed the story, and appreciated the way in which the Uncorker finds a way to finally connect with the community he had long been serving. But it was Erin Stead's artwork, done in woodblock prints, oil pastels and pencils, that really stole the show, and made this a four-star book for me. The palette is subtle but immensely appealing, with beautiful yellow and blue/greens predominating. The figures are a bit quirky, and quite expressive - I think my favorite was the Uncorker's cat! Recommended to fans of Stead's work, and to anyone looking for sweet seaside stories for younger children. show less

Beautiful beautiful illustrations. I wanted to fall into this book and live in the pages. Stead also illustrated A Sick Day for Amos McGee which is also a book with lovely illustrations! I love the particular turns of phrase in the writing as well - "...the waves tipped their white postman hats to the Uncorker...", "...he would journey until his compass because rusty and he felt loneliness as sharp as fish scales," "...for a letter can hold the treasure of a clam-hugged pearl." Quite beautiful in a children's book.
I am really curious about the origins of the Uncorker. This book doesn't seem magically-real enough for him to actually be a manifestation of the desire for connection or whatever (though that's perfectly whimsical (also I show more just read another reviewer who wanted to call this whimsical-realism which I'm obviously down with))...but the more I think of it, the more I like that interpretation better than my other one which is that the Uncorker is the product of an unconventional and possibly abusive household. His parent/guardian was mentally ill or otherwise detached from reality and raised him lonely in this house on a hill with the sole purpose of Uncorking, didn't allow him to make friends or see anyone outside of the message in a bottle visits and told him that none of them would want to be his friend anyway because he was smelly, left him emotionally stunted and unable to really connect with people and then died, leaving him to just continue on without companionship outside of a cat and a cow and without a name. Hopefully the end of this book represents the small seaside town attempting to bring the Uncorker into their community now that his controlling guardian has died. show less

I love Stead's luscious art paired with Cuevas's quietly satisfying story. Stead paints vivid expressions on both humans and animals: the joy of the woman with the gramophone and the inviting, uptilted stare of the skimmer. Cuevas's words are startlingly fresh and beautiful: "... he felt loneliness as sharp as fish scales." and "Sometimes the messages were written by a quill dipped in sadness." and "... for a letter can hold the treasure of a clam-hugged pearl." I love that the Uncorker brings "a handful of his favorite seashells" to the party because "He thought it might be rude to show up uninvited and empty-handed." I like to bring gifts of nature to friends and family. My one small complaint is that I feel the story might have been show more more powerful to end on the page that reads "The Unncorker's heart was a glass vessel filled to the brim." The final sentences about him eating cake seemed too flippant for the tone of the story. But perhaps I'm not understanding the end. I may need to read the book over a few more times. Still, the images and word choice are lovely and redeeming. show less

This is a lovely tale about loneliness, happiness, and possibility. It's full of beautiful illustrations that could narrate themselves. A combination that creates a touching story you will fall in love with.

This is a whimsical story that is simple yet brings a smile to your face! I LOVED the beautiful illustrations and thought that they captured the story perfectly. It is a sweet and simple tale that warms your heart in the end. I believe this could be a great book to teach students about inclusion and the recognition of good deeds. This book teaches a lesson about appreciating those around you and all they do both big and little.

The uncorker had one job, but an important job, collecting and delivering the message bottles. The uncorker did it without fail every single day. He went to the length and breadth of the land to deliver messages. Rain or shine, he did it. And his delivery made most people happy. He also had a wish and hoped it would happen someday. One day, the uncorker found a message bottle but needed a recipient. He carried it everywhere but failed. What did the uncorker do with the message bottle?

We picked this book for its cover. Repayment of kindness is the storyline. The book will appeal to those who understand the joy of receiving snail mail. The illustrations are so reminiscent of the letter era.

Adults will treasure the postal era, and children show more will recognise the beauty of that era as well as a message of empathy in Michelle Cueva's beautifully illustrated The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles. show less

What a very loving and touching story. The book tells a story of a man whom job is to find any bottle he finds in the ocean and makes sure it is delivered. However, no one ever messages him, and he feels a loneliness that can’t be described in words, until he gets a mysterious message. The message has no address and he is upset because he cannot deliver it. Later in the story he finds out that he was the intended receiver which makes him very happy. This is a great book to read for young students