The Deep

Alice lived by the sea. She was a very brave little girl and wasn't scared of many things. Spiders, the dark, even thunder and lightning didn't bother her. But there was one thing she couldn't handle...the deep. The water looked beautiful, but it is so deep. The bottom cannot be seen and that frightens Alice. Her brothers couldn't convince her it was safe. Watching her parents jump in didn't help either. Spotting several dolphins, she wades into the water and something wonderful happens. These sea animals help Alice gain new confidence. The absolutely amazing paintings that illustrate this book make the tale come to life. A wonderful addition to any youngster's library.

Beautiful, inviting pictures and thoroughly re-readable text, this is the story of how Alice overcomes her fear of deep water with the aid of some friendly dolphins.My two year old loves having this read to her, she points to the pictures of the dreamy underwater world and squeals wth delight, 'She's swimming!!!' Older children will enjoy reading it themselves, and perhaps they will come to see that their own fears can be overcome too.

This combines Winton's knowledge about kids with his love of the ocean. About a family who love to swim off the pier in the ocean, the young girl is afraid of going too far into the deep water.It is not one of those stridently didactic books that sacrifices literature for a "good message". It is a terrific book to share with children who are facing particular fears (my son was scared of the water) - and acknowledging that fears are usual but can be overcome.The illustrations are also lovely, the water that special Australian ocean blue!