"What do you want on the sea?" asked old Mr. Dinkel. "It's in my blood," Sam said. "It's more like spring flu," mumbled Mrs. Barleycorn. "It'll pass." Sam the river rat was dreaming of the sea. Nothing can stop him, not the skepticism of the neighbors, the doubts of Mr. Dinkel or Mrs. Gerstenkorn. So he builds himself a boat to carry him out into the distance. And one day he sails away. At home everyone worries about him and suspects the worst. Until one day a seagull drops a note over Sam's abandoned house: "Please don't worry, I'm happy. "A treasure." Gabriele Hoffmann, BookMart "A literary bonanza: Everything's just right here!" Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.