Review Detail

‘The Baker by the Sea’ by Paula White contains beautiful images that paint a provocative picture of how the roles people play in a town are all important, no matter how they might seem to the naked eye. The young boy in the story is enthralled by the fishermen. He feels they are the most important workers of all in the town, as they catch the fish to bring back to the people so they will have what to eat. While the boy’s father is a baker, he wants what he considers “more” for himself, as he thinks of fishermen as daring, strong, brave individuals.

When the boy decides to ask his father if he has ever been to sea, his father replies that he has been, but it wasn’t for him. He became a baker because he wanted to be a baker. His son, however, wonders why he chose to just be a baker. That word, “just,” is so telling of the boy’s feelings toward his father’s job. He thinks of it as something less—that is, until his father explains to him that if there were no bread, buns, or biscuits, the boatbuilders wouldn’t have what to eat in the café, the fishermen wouldn’t have their biscuits dipped in hot broth and dunked in their tea, and as a result, the fish wouldn’t be caught to be sold and distributed to the community.

Every job is important, and jobs rely on other jobs to make their workers' livelihoods worthwhile and workable. One important lesson stands out from the book, and that is that everyone must take stock of not only what is important to an individual person, but what is important to others. When people learn to empathize with others, the world will be a better, more understanding place.