To the Sea
一起去看海
Overview
★ Selected for the 4th Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award
★ Recommended Reading Materials for Elementary and Middle School Students
★ Best Children's and Young Adult Books of the Year Award for “Good Books for Everyone” award
Summer arrives, and the city swelters in oppressive heat. An'an and his father board a coastal bus to a familiar fishing village. As they journey to the beach and down memory lane, An'an and his father reminisce about their time with An'an's mother, gently honoring her memory while learning to carry her presence forward in their hearts.
To the Sea is a tender exploration of how we remember and hold close those we've lost. Through An'an's story, young readers discover that grief and love can coexist—that remembering someone who has passed away means finding ways to keep their spirit alive through cherished memories. Lu Yu-Ming employs digital printmaking techniques infused with Impressionist brushwork and light, capturing the morning glow and waves along Taiwan's coastline, transforming everyday fishing village scenes into moving and detailed imagery. Since its publication, this award-winning book has been included in elementary school textbooks, touching countless families across Taiwan.
Author(s)
Yu-Chin Chen (陳玉金) is a native of Ruisui, Hualien and holds a Ph.D. in Children's Literature from National Taitung University. She has worked as a children's book editor and currently teaches children's literature courses at the university level. She has written picture books including Let's Go See the Sea, That Winter, and After School. Her works have received recognition including the "Good Books for Everyone" Best Children's and Young Adult Books of the Year Award, Open Book Best Annual Children's and Young Adult Books, and the Outstanding Extracurricular Reading Materials Award for Elementary and Secondary School Students.
Since 1969, Yu-Ming Lu (呂游銘) has created numerous paintings, illustrations, and interior design works. After 1983, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue a professional art career. In recent years, he is focused extensively on creating imagery depicting Taiwanese life and culture of the masses. His works include Candy Land Adventure, The Osprey Moves House, Children of the Railway Tracks, To the Sea, That Winter, I Am Cat, The Dreamed-of Spinning Top, Let's Go to the Movies, and The Smiling Police Officer. A 2016 documentary film Childhood Dreams shares part of his personal creative journey with audiences.