Jules Bakes and Niki Smith collaborate on a graphic novel for middle grade readers, Sea Legs. Set in Florida and in various other water accessible communities, it tells the story of two twelve-year-old girls with different family dynamics who both live on boats.
As readers follow the events in the lives of the pair, we discover not only the perils and the benefits of breaking out of one’s comfort zones but also that there are different ways to be friends. Our friends can make us feel better about ourselves as well as stretch us to be braver and smarter, inspiring us to try harder.
Perhaps the most valuable lesson that Bakes and Smith impart is that we must admit that not everyone shares our reality, our truth. Given that diversity, we do well to remember that hurt feelings might erupt due to misunderstanding and experiences that are not shared. Therefore, listening, really listening helps to form stronger bonds. “Because that’s what friends do. . . . I realized that when I looked at my problems against a wider canvas, they didn’t look so big anymore. I tried harder to see what was good and to be patient with things that weren’t. I tried to be less oblivious” (218).
Readers will also encounter flying fish, coral reefs, colorful markets, and new cultures, as well as hurricane season.
- Donna