“an Inspiring and exciting picture book biography. thrilling.”
-Booklist starred review
“We love everything Bonnie Tsui writes about water sports.”
-Outside magazine
“Stunning… full of thrills.”
-The Junior Library Guild
“Bonnie Tsui makes waves, and inspires the next generation to dip their toes in the water.”
-Sunset magazine
*A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
*Watch 5x World Surfing Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Carissa Moore read Sarah and the Big Wave here!
This stunning nonfiction picture book tells the inspiring story of Sarah Gerhardt, one of the first female big-wave surfers. Have you ever seen a big wave? One that’s 20, 30, 40, even 50 feet tall? Here’s a better question: Would you ever surf a big wave? Sarah did—and this is her story. This tale of perseverance and indomitable spirit is about the first woman to ride the waves at Mavericks, one of the biggest and most dangerous surf breaks in the world.
Ages 4-8, with gorgeous illustrations by Sophie Diao.
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan, May 2021
praise for sarah and the big wave:
“Full of thrills and scientific facts, Sarah and the Big Wave is about the first woman to surf Mavericks, a break known as "Mount Everest meets Niagara Falls." A tale of adventure and indomitable spirit.”
The Junior Library Guild
“Tsui’s genius is pursuing ideas further than others might: riding a train of thought as far as it will take her, like a wave curling in toward the shore.”
Harvard magazine
“A determined young woman seizing the moment in a vast, teal-blue ocean is a natural draw."
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This inspiring and exciting picture-book biography of Sarah Gerhardt, the first woman to surf the monster 50-foot Mavericks wave in Half Moon Bay, California, arrives just in time for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Thrilling, engaging, and timely.”
Booklist starred review
“A sunny surf vacation from start to finish.”
Kirkus Reviews
“We love everything Bonnie Tsui writes about water sports. Tsui even has younger fans covered with Sarah and the Big Wave, her children's book about big-wave surf pioneer Sarah Gerhardt.”
Outside magazine
“Tsui's picture-book debut introduces young readers to Sarah Gerhardt, a pioneering figure in modern women's surfing. Diao's expansive, breathtaking art is the showstopper… one spectacular gatefold gives readers an idea of the size of the waves Gerhardt is surfing.”
The Horn Book