The Boy Who Held Back the Sea

From the award-winning and renowned illustrator Thomas Locker, beautiful oil-painted illustrations pair with this wonderful retelling of the traditional Dutch folktale. 

Jan had never done anything more heroic than shout for the guard because he’d imagined he’d seen a sea serpent. But when Jan discovered water trickling through a desolate stretch of the dike that protected his low-lying village, he knew he had to act fast.
 
“Visually stunning.”—Publishers Weekly

"Locker's depiction of nature overpowering humanity is especially significant to the story and to the Dutch people who have spent centuries battling the sea."--School Library Journal“Visually stunning.”—Publishers Weekly 

"Locker's depiction of nature overpowering humanity is especially significant to the story and to the Dutch people who have spent centuries battling the sea."--School Library JournalThomas Locker was one of the major American painters of the past century. In a career that spanned almost 60 years, he had over 75 solo exhibitions. In 1982, he began work on his first children’s picture book, Where the River Begins. Mr. Locker’s exceptional paintings and illustrations grace the pages of some 30 different books, several of which he also wrote. These unique books have been honored with numerous awards, including the prestigious Christopher Award, the John Burroughs Award, and the New York Times Award for best illustration.


Lenny Hort is the author of several acclaimed books for children, including The Boy Who Held Back the Sea. Mr. Hort lives in New Jersey with his wife and their three daughters.