Syd Hoff's Sammy The Seal changed my life. It's the first book I read on my own. I can remember the day I accomplished this feat, just like it was last month. I was home sick from school (where I was enrolled in my second year of grade two). I sat in our living room, focusing on the pages and carefully sounding out the words. By time I finished reading the book, my lips were really dry, I was really thirsty, and I was filled with one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment that I have ever experienced in my life.
I think almost everyone can relate to Sammy and his longing to see life outside the zoo. Haven't we all asked "what if?" or wondered "what would that be like?"
Through this tale about a seal who leaves the zoo to spend a day exploring the city and going to school, Mr. Hoff teaches children that there is no place like home. Sammy goes from being unhappy at the zoo at the start of the story to be happy to return to the zoo at the end of the story, which is also the end of the day.
The language in this book is appropriate for young children and beginner readers. The key message is a cliche and everyone (even the kid re-doing grade two) knows that seals don't talk, visit the city or go to school.
Sammy the Seal taught me that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. The story isn't clever but it was just perfect for me back then.
3/5
After many years of debate, I'm finally taking the plunge into the blogoshpere. I'm hoping this blog will be like no other book review collection, on or offline. It's not going to be all serious and academic but I promise I will always be honest in my reviews. I'm going to write uninhibited about the materials being reviewed, some of my thoughts will be relatively mundane, some will be shameful and, I hope some will be profound.
I guess you probably want to know a little about me. You'll probably learn more by reading my future posts, but I'll try to give you the basics. I'm married to my university sweetheart and we have two beautiful little girls. I have a journalism degree and currently work in marketing and communications.
Now that you know a little about me, I hope you'll be a regular visitor. Please leave comments, I want to be exposed to different points of view. One of the things I love most about reading is the learning opportunities. I'm hoping to learn a few things from this blog.
