To Know the Sea — Frances Gilbert

Far away in a mountain kingdom, lives Isola, a little princess who longs for the Sea. Despite the heroic efforts of several young men from the village, no one is sucessful in bringing the sea to Isola, until Peter, an old sailor, arrives with his pack of books and his memories. He teaches Isola the lore of the sea and when she is ready, she comes down from her mountain home and sets sail in a ship of her own. An original fairy tale, this book with its delightful,quirky illustrations, reveals a child's unquenchable spirit and her awakening to the unknown world over the horizon.