“What is over the ocean? Maybe there is more ocean over the ocean.” A small girl standing on the shore of a seemingly endless sea ponders what might be on the other side. Farms? Cities full of tall buildings or small houses? Kids? If so, what might they be like? Are there animals she’s never seen, or a fair with fun rides? Is there night, and stars, or a country made of ice? Maybe there’s a beach, like the one she’s standing on. And perhaps that beach has a person just like her, wondering what’s out there. The girl’s thoughts are expressed through a spare narrative paired with lush-hued, clean-lined illustrations that convey the expansiveness of her imagination, and the rich possibilities of the wider world. Every page spread is anchored by the warm teal blue of the sea and her small figure, gazing out at all she sees in her mind’s eye. “I wish I could go there,” she thinks at book’s end. And one way or another, it seems certain she will, even if only in her dreams. (Age 3–6)

Over the Ocean by Taro Gomi is a picture book that asks a series of questions of what is over the ocean. The story is told through the perspective of a child, who asks the series of questions and then hypothesizes what is over the ocean. Each possibility brings a wonder of possibilities. Is there a city over the ocean, with tall buildings, a fair with children on rides and so on. The story ends with the narrator asking whether there is another child just like them asking the same questions they were asking. This book is unique because of the realm of possibilities the author offers to this simple question, which aligns with a child's wonderment.

ALA Notable Children's Books - Younger Readers Category: 2017, Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honor in 2017, Bank Street CBC Best Children's Book of the Year, 2017, CCBC Choice, 2017, Sankei Award for Children Books 1978, Graphic Prize “Fiera di Bologna” for Children in 1981.

Author/ Illustrator lives in Japan.

Japanese. Originally published in Japan as Umi no Mukú wa by Ehonkan Inc in 1979. English translation by Taro Gomi published in the United States by Chronicle Books in 2016.

Renowned children's book creator Taro Gomi has created another masterpiece. In this beautiful testament to wondering, a young girl gazes out to where the water meets the sky and wonders what lies beyond the waves. Boats filled with toys? Skyscrapers filled with people? Houses filled with families? Or, maybe, over the ocean stands someone not so different from the girl herself, returning her gaze. In this celebration of imagination's power, young readers will find joy in the mystery of the faraway, the unknown, and the just-beyond.