The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles

TIME Top 10 Children's Books of 2016
People Magazine Best Children's Books of 2016
School Library Journal Best Books of 2016
Boston Globe Best Books of 2016

A message in a bottle holds the promise of surprise and wonder, as told in this enthralling picture book by Caldecott Medalist Erin E. Stead.
 
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles, who lives alone atop a hill, has a job of the utmost importance. It is his task to open any bottles found at sea and make sure that the messages are delivered. He loves his job, though he has always wished that, someday, one of the letters would be addressed to him. One day he opens a party invitation—but there’s no name attached. As he devotes himself to the mystery of the intended recipient, he ends up finding something even more special: the possibility of new friends.

Praise for The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles

"Stead's characters exude an endearing vulnerability and quirky charm. . . . A perfect pairing of text and art. Share this quiet story with your wishers and dreamers." - School Library Journal

"Caldecott Medalist Stead's ethereal spreads give the characters distinctive, captivating personalities. . . . The underlying message about learning to see the worth of every person is a treasure." - Publishers Weekly

"Readers will find both consolation and encouragement on every visit to this emotionally resonant, evocative story." - Kirkus

“Cuevas’s prose is laden with gems . . . gorgeous sentences as precious as the messages themselves. Beauty shines through a fog of sadness . . . Colors—the tawny body of a cat, the red of the man’s Cousteau-esque knit cap—bloom with Stead’s whispery pencil drawings.” - The New York Times Book Review