Out of the Ocean: A Contemplative Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-7) About Shore Discovery and Nature

by Debra Frasier

Open this book and you'll be walking along the ocean shore, looking for all kinds of special things. Some will be small enough to fit in your hand--like shells and sea glass. Others--like the sun and the sky and the waves--will be too big to carry home. But no matter what your journey holds, you'll soon learn that looking for the ocean's treasures can be as important as finding them.
Debra Frasier, author-illustrator of the bestselling On the Day You Were Born, invites you along on this beach journey of discovery.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Juvenile, 1st Grade, Summer, Nature, Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Debra Frasier is the author and illustrator of many award-winning picture books including On the Day You Were Born and Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster. In addition to her well-known talks on creative process, Debra’s innovative "Book Events" build a community’s creativity through projects that start with a story. Visit debrafrasier.com to see how a parade of words can make you laugh, how the alphabet can transform a school carnival into a Word Event, or how a talking dog can make your heart swell and teach first-person writing at the same time!

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has taken her years of beachcombing and the photographs she made of her many finds and turned them into a nice little picture book. Well, actually, the picture book portion didn't do much for me, being a bit soppy and sappy and entirely too pro-ocean.

Yes, yes, I firmly believe that having driven our ancient ancestors out of the ocean, that water is angered by any attempt by humanity to return to its embrace. This book proves my point, by displaying many remnants the ocean has spit back onto shore having taken care of the rest of the boat and its human occupants. The ocean is coming for us, people, and that's the reason I live in the most landlocked state in the U.S.

Anyway, the best part of the book for me was the six-pages of endmatter, "An Ocean Journal," that documents the origins of the objects integrated into the main story. History and science is way better than ocean-hugger propaganda.

[Becky B · Rating 2 out of 5]

A child and mother who live on the beach remind each other to notice the things around them and find treasures in the things the ocean washes up.

The illustrations are a very interesting mix of collage and photographs. I felt the accompanying text could have been stronger. I'm not sure how well this book would keep the attention of kids. There were some nice notes in the back about how the author's family has lived on the beach for several generations and the kinds of things they've found over the years.

[Megan Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was written extremely well. It is about a child whose mother goes to the beach with him or her every day. They explore, find treasures, and look out at the marvelous wonders around them. The mother always looks for the clouds, the sky, sea turtle tracks, and the ocean. The child looks for shells, teeth, glass, and other smaller objects. The book does an excellent job at explaining how everything is relevant, especially in the back of the book. This book would be perfect for a lesson on oceans.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly unique. The illustrations have a very cool art style and the photographs of real beach/sea finds are very eye-catching and cool! The book also has a great message about being grateful for the world that we live in and putting in the effort to find your own joy. I really enjoyed reading this story.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I think the story is quiet but nice. I really like the combination of artwork and photographs to show off the found items. It is a fun way to think about the things you find at the beach.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this little book about always finding what you need.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure this one would hold the attention of the preschoolers at story time, but it's a nice story for reading one-on-one.

[Kiersten Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a mother and her daughter going to the ocean and learning about life and the blessings they have. The mother relates different occurrences at the beach to how they can be used as a lesson. This book can be used within the classroom for the students to look at their own life and recognize how different events can be symbols.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Week 4: Debra Frasier Book

A mother and daughter roam the beach in search of treasure. The mother and daughter play with the belief that you can ask for ocean for anything and you will get what you want. Asking for everything from sea shells to beach glass, they get their every wish.

"Out of the Ocean" is appropriate for ages 4+ (Grades PreK+).

I like that this book is very simple yet thought-provoking. The illustrations are made of paper cut-outs and real photographs taken of the sea. This book contains a lot of visual textures that keep your eyes busy and engaged. My favorite part of this book is the layering of paper to make the image of waves crashing on the beach. This book reminds me of walking miles of beach and the summer and finding odd knick-knacks in the sand.

[Cathy Blackler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will speak to anyone who loves the majesty of the ocean. A conversation between mother and daughter accompanies Frasier's stunning artwork. Paper collage, artifacts, and photographs are combined to create rich, captivating pages. I have always lived on the West Coast, and cannot imagine life without the ocean, beach and all its treasures. Readers will count Frasier's beautiful homage as an ocean treasure, too.

[Sabrina Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author talks about the ocean in its actuality. It is a simple story that guides you notice th eocean and its interesting offers.
I like the use of real pictures in the book. This story can be used to teach about appreciation of nature. This book can be listened to in the dark, as it would also boost your imagination and put you into a reflective mood.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another incredibly illustrated and written book by Debra Frasier (On the Day You Were Born being my favourite) to inspire daydreaming, slow down the breath and play with concept of what we ask for and how the ocean washes up what we'd like. A beautiful book to share with your little one, especially for a mother and daughter.

[Wolf Trap Institute For Early Learning Through the Arts]

Extending the concept; making predictions, sorting and categorizing, extending the concept, social/emotional
development, character development; addressing visual/spatial, musical, and kinesthetic learning
styles.

[Amy Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the Ocean is a book to introduce students to descriptive writing. An interesting activity to do with students is to have them imagine what they see when the hear the words read to them, have a conversation about with the class and see how different students imagined the text.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good! I like the texture of the sand in the pictures and the story is interesting. It makes me want to go beach combing. I have been on several beaches the last few years and I haven't found sea glass, but I have found a lot of sea shells and I have the enjoyed the sea. Nice one!

[Rose]

E Fra

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful reminder of the ocean with actual photographs of the beach and the treasures found there.

[Rachel]

Small moments book. Such beautiful and descriptive words that paint a picture in your head.

[Vasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

След лятото мисля да си направим наша такава книжка със снимки.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes:
illustrations and photos
a visit to the shore is more informative than a book

[FSU Alumni]

Debra Frasier (B.S. '76)