Zoom was a cat who loved water. He liked to play at sailing in the bathtub, and would spend his nights watching the tap and dreaming. Then one day he found a letter from his Uncle Roy, instructing him on how to get to the sea, which turned out to be located inside the home of a mysterious woman named Maria. After setting sail, Zoom had a marvelous day at sea, before returning to shore (AKA Maria's home), where he was assured he could come back, at any time he liked...

An entertaining work of picture-book fantasy, Zoom at Sea was the first of a trilogy of stories - subsequent titles include Zoom Away and Zoom Upstream - from Canadian author/illustrator team Tim Wynne-Jones and Eric Beddows devoted to the adventures of this unusual feline. The story here is quirky, with plenty of surreal elements that the narrative simply takes in its stride, presenting as matter-of-fact realities. The sea being inside a house, for instance, and something that is put together (so to speak) by the mysterious Maria. The artwork, done in graphite pencil, is intricate and quite lovely, with so many wonderful little details. I particularly loved Zoom's changing facial expressions! Highly recommended by a colleague, this book was once described by a reviewer at the Toronto Star as "the most completely satisfying Canadian picture-book ever produced." I don't know if I'd go that far, but I certainly think it is marvelous, and sure to appeal both to young cat lovers and to readers who enjoy surreal fantasy and fairy-tale fiction. I read the 35th Anniversary edition of Zoom at Sea, which would seem to indicate that this is a book with some staying power! ( )