Zeke loved the sea. He liked to watch the seabirds dive, or look for driftwood, shells and pebbles on the beach. As soon as he was old enough, he went to sea as a cabin boy and travelled the world ...

One day he saw a piece of wood rolling in the surf and waded out to fetch it. It was strange, making him think of a little face. He painted in two black eyes with a frayed rope-end dipped in tar, and he called her Mary. Whenever he looked at her after that, he was sure she was looking back at him. He told her his tales of the sea and she listened. For Mary was something very rare and very special - a stormteller.

This book features in the following series: Hodder Read Alone, Read Alone .

. This book is part of a reading scheme, meaning that it is a book aimed at children who are learning to read. This reading scheme is not levelled.

There are 64 pages in this book. This book was published 2000 by Hachette Children's Group .

Winner of the Mother Goose Award, AMANDA HARVEY is a well-known picture book artist, illustrating her own books Stormy Weather and A Close Call. She is the illustrator of Sandra Horn's Hob and Miss Minkin stories.