The Perfect Rock by Sarah Noble

AD: Sponsored Post

Time to share a very random fact about me: I carry a rock around in my coat pocket. I’ve had it for two years and originally picked it up for skimming stones but as I ran my thumb over it’s smooth surface I knew I’d never skim it. So now it’s a little (although somewhat heavy) treasure I keep in my pocket!

“Every otter with their sea salt knows the perfect rock is hard to find.” And so apparently I’m part otter!

But this beautiful picture book, The Perfect Rock by Sarah Noble, isn’t really about rocks -ultimately it’s about family. Ollie, Bea and Ula are three inseparable otter pups - they play in the waves together, eat shellfish together, snuggle up to sleep together. And they go hunting for ‘the perfect rock’ together. The rock has to be shiny and strong enough to crack open shells. They search and search. Until they find one.

The emphasis here is on the word ‘one’. For as many parents know one new toy between three pups does not share equally. It just can’t be done. And the siblings argue, fumble, run and chase to be the one with the rock. Until it get’s snatched from them by a passing guillemot which leads them to stormy waters. And the pups must hold each other tight forgetting about the argument and the rock, apologising and clinging on to what is really important - each other. 

This is such a beautiful book in so many ways. The illustrations throughout are truly gorgeous with lots of greens, blues and purples that create a stunning depiction of the sea which seems to move across the page - from the largest wave to the smallest ripples. And even the simple white pebble seems to glow from the page the use of light throughout the book is spectacular.

And the message too is beautiful and will melt even the toughest rock (sorry for mixing metaphors!). Whilst this is a book about three otters holding each other close, as a parent of siblings who love each other dearly, this one tugs the heart strings and I hope they see themselves in it’s pages. That together they can overcome any storm.

And now I've read that back and counted I've used the word 'beautiful' three times, and a gorgeous, but I'm not going to hit the thesaurus because 'beautiful' is absolutely the right word for this book!

And if you see a pretty (ha - changed it up!) pebble, rock or stone and you feel inclined to pick it up and keep it in your pocket - you just go for it! You might be part-otter too!

Happy reading and perfect rock hunting!

Kim and the otter-bairns x

As fans of Sarah’s first book - As Strong as the River - we are delighted to enjoy this one. Thanks to Flying Eye Books for this sweet and beautiful story to treasure!

Disclaimer: If you click on the image of the book below you will be sent to Amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link.  This means that if you choose to purchase on Amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-90p per book) from Amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog post please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our For Readers Section.