Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Starred Review Readers and listeners set sail for a surreal dreamscape in the Fan brothers' (The Night Gardener, 2016) newest offering, which follows a young boy's journey to where the ocean and sky meet. Through spare text and exquisite artwork (graphite drawings, digitally colored), the story unfolds as Finn builds a boat from scraps on the beach to find this magical place from his grandfather's tales. Awakening from a nap belowdecks, the boy discovers he is gently bobbing on the open water beneath white clouds resembling an elephant, a whale, and a pipe puffing smoke. As day turns to night, a giant whiskered catfish approaches Finn's boat and offers to guide him to where ocean meets sky. They pass incredible islands, until, finally, the air and sea merge. In a series of phantasmagoric spreads, a castle nestles in a cloud, ghostly jellyfish mingle with the stars, and Victorian airships sail alongside clipper ships and a blue whale. Finn sails by these wonders toward the large golden moon, whose smiling face is very much like that of his beloved grandfather's. This amorphous, imaginative adventure carries threads of grief and closure that will bypass most youngsters, but they will be enthralled by the magical illustrations and accepting of the notion that the fantastic worlds of dreams and stories truly exist.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A young boy adventures into a fantastical realm, where ocean meets sky and the spirit of his grandfather lives on.Finn, who lives by the sea, remembers his grandpa: his voice, his sayings, his extraordinary stories. To honor him, Finn builds a boat on the beach, creating a wonderful fort out of flotsam and jetsam. While asleep in his creation, the lonely boy dreams of a mustachioed golden fish, which leads him through wondrous surroundings. Whales swim among the stars, and celestial ships intermingle with zeppelins and subs. But it's the fish that must be followed, as it transforms into the moon and reveals itself to be Finn's grandfather, a benevolent Asian face illuminating the child's world. Just as Finn begins to say goodbye, he hears his mother calling him home with the promise of a dumpling supper. Graphite renderings, digitally colored in a cool palette, recall hand-tinted etchings. Dazzling spreads, full of texture and detail, offer much for readers to explore. Inspiration from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and David Wiesner's Flotsam can be seen in both story and art. However, the Fan Brothers' approach to loss, healing, and intergenerational relationships makes this a unique and refreshing offering. A stunning, dreamlike voyage into the heart of a child. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book

Finn builds a boat for his deceased grandfather's ninetieth birthday, and a golden fish guides him on a dream journey to the magical place "where ocean meets sky." Three stunning wordless spreads then lead to a glowing moon with the features of Finn's Asian grandfather. Precise graphite drawings, digitally colored in deep blues and soft grays, are a lovely, mystical complement to an understated story of loss and comfort.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A young boy adventures into a fantastical realm, where ocean meets sky and the spirit of his grandfather lives on.Finn, who lives by the sea, remembers his grandpa: his voice, his sayings, his extraordinary stories. To honor him, Finn builds a boat on the beach, creating a wonderful fort out of flotsam and jetsam. While asleep in his creation, the lonely boy dreams of a mustachioed golden fish, which leads him through wondrous surroundings. Whales swim among the stars, and celestial ships intermingle with zeppelins and subs. But it's the fish that must be followed, as it transforms into the moon and reveals itself to be Finn's grandfather, a benevolent Asian face illuminating the child's world. Just as Finn begins to say goodbye, he hears his mother calling him home with the promise of a dumpling supper. Graphite renderings, digitally colored in a cool palette, recall hand-tinted etchings. Dazzling spreads, full of texture and detail, offer much for readers to explore. Inspiration from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and David Wiesner's Flotsam can be seen in both story and art. However, the Fan Brothers' approach to loss, healing, and intergenerational relationships makes this a unique and refreshing offering. A stunning, dreamlike voyage into the heart of a child. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Young Finn-s grandfather, when he was alive, had a white pointed beard that made him look like a sage. He told Finn stories about -a place far away where ocean meets sky.- Now, to celebrate the day his grandfather would have been 90, Finn creates a boat out of wood scraps, then drifts off to sleep inside it. In a dream, a great, mustachioed golden carp appears to help Finn find the place his grandfather described: -It-s up and down and very far.- Finn sails through nautical fancies that attentive readers will recognize as curiosities from his grandfather-s study, at last reaching a starry, light-filled paradise where schooners, hot-air balloons, dirigibles, a blue whale, and even the Titanic all sail serenely for eternity-and the full moon contains the smiling face of his grandfather. Meticulous draftsmanship by the Fan brothers (The Night Gardener) gives the spreads genuine majesty; Finn-s tiny craft is barely visible among the great vessels. The artists imagine not a general, one-size-fits-all afterlife, but one that Finn and his grandfather share-and one that readers will feel privileged to share with them. Ages 4-8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (May)