See the Ocean

For the most part, I really enjoyed See the Ocean; both Estelle Condra's story and Linda Crockett-Blassingame's illustrations are poignant, evocative and just plain lovely (especially the beach scenes and waterscapes show the magic of the ocean, the flowing, swirling, translucent quality of the sea). I have to admit that I am a bit taken aback by the fact that one does not get to actually know about Nellie's blindness until the very end of the book. The author does leave many little clues throughout the narrative that show/depict Nellie as being potentially visually challenged (she does not want to join in her brothers' games about who can first see the ocean, she does not fight for a window seat in the car, she is more attuned to the show more sound of the ocean, the texture of the sand, the caress of a salty sea breeze), but I wonder if a young child would catch all of these clues (I think this is definitely a book that might need to be read more than once).

While Nellie's family does not approach her as a "special" or "challenged" child (she is simply Gerald and Jamin's little sister, her parents' daughter), both parents and older brothers do endeavour to stimulate Nellie's sense of touch, sound, hearing, even taste. I appreciate how Jamin and Gerald put Nellie in the sand, how she is allowed to lie in the ocean water, to finger the grains of sand, how the boys bring buckets of seaweed, fish and shells for her to touch, how her father carries Nellie into the surf. Nellie's sense of touch, her sense of hearing, of taste are stimulated by both the ocean and her family, who bring the ocean, the seaside to her to explore, but who also allow Nellie to explore the beach on her own; she is not constantly being controlled and coddled by her family.

Although I do find that the brothers are being a bit harsh and unreasonable towards their sister when they claim that Nellie is cheating, that she cannot see the ocean because she is blind, I think they are basically just being typical older brothers who cannot handle being outdone by their little sister. And the parents do intervene almost immediately, explaining to Gerald and Jamin that although their sister's eyes might be blind, she can see with her mind, she can see with her sense of touch, sound, smell and taste. Sibling rivalry is often a fact of life, and just because Nellie is blind does not mean that there might not be sibling rivalry between her older brothers and herself. Jamin and Gerald should not have made these comments, but I believe the comments are not really so much about Nellie's blindness, they basically represent the brothers' frustration at not winning, at being suddenly outperformed by someone much younger and less experienced than they are (they have been the older, more experienced brothers for so long that it is hard to relinquish their place on the podium). show less

Effective. I love that Nellie's brothers are just as 'normal' as she is... all the kids love each other, and all the kids bicker and compete,* just like any siblings.

*Well, except we do wonder, at first, why Nellie doesn't ever want a window seat in the car, and why she keeps score in her head.

If you read this with children, please don't tell them what it's about! Let them decide - it's quite likely they'll say something *other than* 'it's about a little blind girl.' I predict, and hope, they say something like 'it's about imagination' or 'it's about a family' or 'it's about vacations....'

A beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written picture book about Nellie, a little girl that is blind. Estelle Condra, the author who has experienced a severe loss of her sight, has told Nellie's story in such a way that it will bring tears to your eyes. A great story for teaching children about those that are less fortunate than they might be. Nellie enjoys her family's annual trips to the ocean. She feeds crumbs to the seagulls, tosses pebbles into ponds, handles seashells and driftwood. There is no explicit reference to her blindness until the end when she claims to be able to see the ocean through a thick mist.

I had mixed feelings about the book, See the Ocean, by Estelle Condra after reading it. First, I liked the book because of its central message. The main idea of this book is that sometimes, our hearts and minds can see things which our physical eyes cannot see. I thought that this book had such a heart-warming message behind it, which I liked. In addition, I thought that the illustrations seemed fitting to the written text since the oil-paintings give off soft and gentle emotions to its audience. On the other hand, I didn’t like this book because the plot seemed too bland and dull. During the entirety of the book, there was only one conversation which took place in a single car ride. There was no interesting plot or major conflicts show more involved. Because of this, it was difficult to focus and engage with the story. Considering that this is a children’s book, this book does not have enhancing features nor an interesting plot to grab the children’s attention. show less

This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever come across. The story brings forth sandy memories of ocean air and squawking seagulls, the soft illustrations are breathtaking, and the surprising ending leaves me speechless.

1. I would recommend this book to lower to middle elementary school students.
2.This book goes through a story of a girl who is blind and cant see the ocean. But she loves the ocean. It explains how her brothers get the window seat in the car since she can't see. It explains that when her family cant see the ocean because of fog that she can still see it because of its smells and sounds.
3.I might have this book in my future classroom. It isn't a super interesting book but it can be used to explain senses and inclusion to kids.

This is a great book for 2nd or 3rd graders to practicing their synthesizing skills. The way the book is written, by the end of the story it becomes something completely different that what it seemed to be at first. For the lesson this would be an easy book to talk about how as you read your thinking changes.