Sea Gifts — George Shannon

Living in a "home hand-built" on the Alaskan coast, the man who "trades with the sea" combs the silent dawn beaches each morning for driftwood and cast-off items. For this quiet man, each find has its own story, its own past and dignity. Every day after gathering his treasure - and leaving behind those gifts "that are best never held" - he returns home where he carves a small figure from the driftwood, a gift for the sea. This beautiful - and beautifully illustrated - story is a quiet hymn celebrating man and nature in harmony. Children and ecology-minded adults alike will find much to enjoy in Shannon's spare text and Azarian's elegant woodcut art.