Felix and the Magic Sea | Dedicated Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"In this beautiful story about family, change, growing up, and love, readers will explore the tension between love for the safety and comfort of home and the pull to venture out and explore the exciting (and sometimes dangerous) world beyond it."

"Perfect for readers who need reassurance about the future, Felix and the Magic Sea is a lovely story that rewards shared reading and deep discussion."

By Dr. Jen Harrison, The Children's Book Review (August 2026)

In this beautiful story about family, change, growing up, and love, readers will explore the tension between love for the safety and comfort of home and the pull to venture out and explore the exciting (and sometimes dangerous) world beyond it.

Felix loves playing on the seashore where he lives with his mother. His mother loves him very much, and always warns him to be careful near the sea—there are sharks in the water, and he might get swept away. Then, one day, Felix does get swept into the sea—and to his mother’s sorrow, he is turned into a shark himself! Although Felix lives in the ocean now, he still returns to the shore every morning, braving the presence of a much larger shark to be near his mother and comfort her. Over the years, Felix gets bigger, and he explores more widely—and he still loves playing in the ocean. Soon his mother comes to realize—she hasn’t lost a son to the ocean; the ocean has given her an amazing new family!

Felix is loving and obedient, but he is also curious, brave, and adaptable. The real learning in this story is not his but his mother’s, as she learns to let her son swim free and become his own man, and to see beauty where she previously saw only danger. The story is delivered through simple lines of prose, with plenty of dialogue that invites readers inside each character’s learning journey.

Fabiana Attanasio’s digital artwork uses airbrushed shading and gentle linework that evokes the warm qualities of hand-painted illustrations, with a palette of muted seaside colors that blur the line between ocean and land.

Perfect for readers who need reassurance about the future, Felix and the Magic Sea is a lovely story that rewards shared reading and deep discussion.

Read more here: Felix and the Magic Sea | Dedicated Review