Today I am giving you a sneak peek
Of a book publishing at the beginning of July
That has the sweetest otter illustrations I have ever seen
I am so excited to show you
The Perfect Rock
The second picture book by author illustrator Sarah Noble
Publishing by Flying Eye Books
I absolutely love Sarah’s illustrations
Every page of her book is a work of art
In The Secret Rock her otters are full of character
Each picture got an audible reaction from my little readers
The Secret Rock is a story of sibling love and rivalry
It is a story of growing up and becoming independent
It is a story about family and being there for one another
It is a story about the perfect rock
A rock that is tough and smooth
Something that you will hold tight
And never lose
Otter siblings Ollie, Bea and Ula
Are always busy having fun together
But the time has come for them
To begin the search for their perfect rock
So they can open shells
And feed themselves as they grow
Mama and Papa Otter tell them what they need to look for
And then the playful trio are off through the kelp forest
In search of the perfect rock
It is not too long before they find one
Just one rock
The siblings begin to squabble about who should have the rock
The gorgeous ocean scenes will be familiar to any parent of multiple children
The facial expressions of the sparring siblings do make me chuckle
Sadly the perfect rock is stolen by a bird
And the eager otters swim sadly and sullenly home
When a storm hits the young otters
Set aside their squabble and their feelings
As they hold on tight to one another
Until the storm passes and their parents arrive
The otters snuggle and say sorry
And they realise that what matters most
Is each other
In this story of the busy life of a large family
It becomes clear that the little ones are learning
Not just about the perfect rock to use as a tool
Not just about sharing and saying sorry
But also about being a rock, a support
For the ones you love
And knowing that your family
Will always be there for you
I know that in our large family
We are all each other’s rocks
Together we are tough enough to weather the storm
Smooth enough to ease worries big and small
Dear enough to one another
To hold tight and never lose
Who is your rock?