Now and again a book makes me hold my breath, amazed at the way the story is told, astonished at how the illustrations and text coalesce, dazzled by the aptness of the illustrations, drawing me into the power of its theme. And this is such a one.

Fran Knight, Readplus.com.au

Bentley uses strong, saturated colours and sketchy, scribbled images to present washed-out azure skies, vivid ochre soil and stark, skeletal trees and cattle. This imagery enhances the emotional intensity of Tanner's deft storytelling in this beautifully presented tale about family, resilience and hope.

Stephanie Owen Reeder, Canberra Times

Ella and the Ocean is a flawlessly composed and executed picture book. It is perfect for young children and will continue to delight on multiple readings thanks to its sophisticated, multilayered and allusive text. While at the simplest level this is a story about a child and her desire to see the ocean, the book has extraordinary depth, exploring drought, climate change, family, resilience, dreams and hope. The Australian landscape is celebrated and the natural world affirmed. The writing is simple, yet metaphorical, sensory and evocative with evocative repetition of descriptions of the dry-as-bone land, the revitalising ocean and broken and anticipated dreams. The cyclic narrative arc is consummately crafted. Words and illustrations align effortlessly and the artwork shows an exceptional quality of meaning and depth to conjure family and country – the despair on Dad’s face, Ella’s inquisitive childhood innocence and the juxtaposition of red dirt and blue ocean to create a visceral response.

Judges' comments, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature