Grand Isle

In this wordless story, an ordinary day at the beach transforms into an unforgettable adventure.

"A knockout. Samworth's wordless tale twists and turns like the best of suspense films. An everyday beach trip takes a turn when Samworth lets a pair of adventuring kids lead the way. They lead readers into an inverted realm where humans are, at last, the small ones, where plants and bugs lord over us. This book is a feat of illustration, a carnival of color, a mash-up of dreams, nightmare, and reality. I read it with my fingers to my lips in terror, and slammed my fist with how good the end was."
--Lulu Miller, author of Why Fish Don't Exist

"This is a story that's discovered rather than told. I wish I could ride in such an extraordinary vessel. It transported me to a magical, colorful world of possible impossibilities."
--Nikki McClure, author/illustrator of Mama, Is It Summer Yet?

"Grand Isle creates an extraordinary world of fantasy using the everyday world around us. It's an adventure of the imagination."
--Johnny Marciano, author of Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat

When two sisters wander the shore on their family beach outing in search of seashells, smooth pebbles, and other sandy treasures, they discover a gigantic seed pod large enough to hold them afloat. Unable to resist, they climb aboard, and before they know it are swept across the ocean to a mysterious island populated by marvelous vegetation and outsized insects. As they explore, their vessel is carried back out to sea, and they are stranded on the grand isle. Curiosity has led them far from home and only an act of daring and resourcefulness will bring them back.

This wordless adventure leads the audience through a richly imagined land packed with spectacular flowers and foliage well suited to Willy Wonka's botanical garden. Samworth combines the natural with the surreal in harmonious colors to create a landscape that promises new discoveries on each visit.