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From Horn Book

July 1, 2024
Two children embark on a journey together when a girl lands her boat on an island where a boy is stranded. After their initial shock, they start to communicate, the boy in Spanish and the girl in English. They attempt to leave the island by boat, but their plan is foiled by a storm that leaves the girl stranded on the island and the boy lost at sea. She sounds a conch shell as her new friend taught her, which leads the boy back to the island. Spencer and Montalvo's story explores concepts of forming friendships, building connections, and overcoming the fear of differences. The simple, meaningful text alternates between Spanish and English, exposing readers to both languages, without translations. The die-cut cover features a symbolic overlay of the boy looking through binoculars from the island, while the girl is visible -- within his lenses -- looking at the island from her boat through her looking glass. Montalvo's crisp illustrations evoke the sights, scents, and sounds of a tropical island setting. The binoculars and looking glass are cleverly used throughout to indicate the pair's progression to friendship, and, after a warm culminating gatefold image, to indicate a hopeful ending. Nicholas A. Brown-Caceres

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Kirkus

Starred review from February 15, 2024
A boy on land and a girl at sea overcome language barriers to become friends. A girl wearing a white, wide-brimmed hat steers a boat, worry across her face. "I'm lost." A boy in a red-orange cap holding a conch shell on a string stares out at the sea. "Soy n�ufrago." She sees land and heads toward it. He spots the boat, hoping for a friend rather than a foe. As each child notices the other, their mutual trepidation leads to an unexpected initial encounter. "AAAAAAAH!" "�AAAAAAA!" Both children, however, soon realize they have nothing to fear. Amid island backdrops brimming with rich blues, greens, and oranges, the girl and the boy take tentative steps toward one another. A problem: She speaks English; he speaks Spanish. To communicate, the girl and the boy explore the island and share a little of their worlds. Eventually, the children voyage off the island in the boat, but a sudden storm splits them up. Will the friends reunite? Restrained and spare but potent text whips up an exceptional tale of kinship, where English and Spanish words often converge in meaning. Montalvo's watercolor, gouache, and graphite artwork brims with verve, leveraging unusual perspectives, thoughtful frames, and vivid tones that culminate in a sublime gatefold. The girl reads as white, while the boy has light brown skin and is cued Latine. A radiant tale of adventure and friendship. (Picture book. 4-8)

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