Module Four: Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes

Summary: Martha is a young girl who dreams of being a writer. One day, she is given a diary entry from a young girl in her class who has passed away. Olive spends the rest of her summer, vacationing at her grandmother's house on the beach, trying to discover why Olive had to die, boys and her desire to write.

Citation: Henkes, K. (2003). Olive's ocean. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Impressions: Henkes has a written a very profound book concerning the realities that a child must face in learning to deal with death. Martha's character is growing up in this very novel. She is discovering romantic relationships and her special relationship with her grandmother. Olive's death marks an end to Martha's childhood as she attempts to understand death. I really enjoyed this insightful book about coming of age. The short chapters would make it easy to follow for younger readers.

Reviews:
“He [Henke] brings to his story the same bedrock understanding of the emotional realities of childhood that he regularly displays in his paradigmatically perfect picture books. This isn't big and splashy, but its quiet art and intelligence will stick with readers, bringing them comfort and reassurance as changes inevitably visit their own growing-up years.”-Michael Cart

Cart, M. (2003). Olive’s Ocean (Book Review). Booklist, 100(1). Retrieved from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.

“Henkes’ use of short chapters, many less than a page long, present much of the story in sensory poetic vignettes that limn the plot with a contemplative stillness; readers with a view toward the delicate melancholy of growing up, and the even more profound melancholy of not growing up, will find emotional affirmation here.” –Karen Coats

Coats, K. (2003). Olive’s Ocean (Book Review). The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 57(1). Retrieved from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.

Library Setting: In the library, I would try to do something lively concering the beach. The programmer could collect baby food jars and peel the labels off. Using different colored sands, pour layers upon payers in the baby food jar to make your own little piece of art. Have the patrons tell the group someone special in their life that they could present the sand to. It could be a granmother, aunt, father or friend. The patrons are free to take their masterpiece home.