Siblings Sophie and Ben are going on holiday with their parents, Katie and Sam, to the Cayman Islands. Tensions begin to surface during the flight from Miami when Sam drinks too much and behaves aggressively towards a flight attendant, shouting and calling him names. Katie cries in the seat beside him, suggesting that this is not an uncommon occurrence. We soon learn that Sam is a lawyer who relieves the pressures of work by abusing his wife and children, who are afraid to be near him. When they arrive at their destination, Sophie and Ben venture out onto the sea alone in a boat, the Sea Jewel. The boat capsizes, and the two children are thrown into the water. To their surprise, they meet a talking seahorse in the depths of the sea who leads them on a treasure hunt and teaches them about forgiving their parents, learning to love themselves, and how nothing is impossible for those who believe.

While at first glance, Margolin and Hall’s book seems to be a jolly romp about a family’s trip to the beach, it soon swerves in a more interesting and daring direction. Their depiction of alcohol addiction and domestic abuse is well-observed and authentic. Sam, the high-strung lawyer, exhibits layers seldom seen in a book of this nature. His guilt and self-recrimination, compounded by early traumas, ring true to life. This refreshing honesty makes the book important for children, even more than the messages of self-affirmation. James Baldwin said that part of the magic of literature is seeing your own struggles, which you thought were unique to you, reflected there. Here is a story to reassure kids trapped in nightmares that they aren’t alone in their travails.

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