Sea Crow

Jessica dragged two long strands of kelp up the street and left them in her garden. "What are they for?" asked Miles. "I like them," said Jessica. "That's all." All week long, Jessica thought of the beach. Jessica's little brother Miles is afraid of all kinds of unusual things: pickles, tennis balls and dragons, to name a few. Jessica is not so willing to name her fears, but going to a new school is hard. Nothing on the nearby beach scares her, though. Beach finds collect in Jessica's garden until she is ready to create something that will help her to face her fear. Sea Crow began with Shannon Stewart's childhood memory of a girl who came to her school wearing an artificial leg. "I remember feeling awkward and curious, but not knowing how to talk to her about it," Shannon says now. Shannon's own love of beachcombing gave her story a shape, a way of communicating through symbol, appropriate for a woman whose book of poetry, The Canadian Girl, was shortlisted for two major awards. Liz Milkau flew from Ontario to the West Coast to photograph beaches and cottages. Orca's past art director's great-niece modeled for Liz on a Victoria beach to give the photos that extra ring of authenticity. Elizabeth brings a light touch to her work along with an obvious facility for painting the natural world.Stewart, Shannon is the author of 'Sea Crow', published 2004 under ISBN 9781551432885 and ISBN 1551432889.