
The immeasurable wonders of life and little Hudson's big question
Hudson was a bit over two at the time and our world was one of happy chatter. He sang songs to me and would parrot lines from his favourite books. We spent sunny winter days making tiny and significant discoveries at the beach, painting with our hands and learning the names of all the whales.
It was on one of these idyllic days, stretching out a measuring tape across anything we could find in the backyard, that he turned his earnest face toward me and asked, "How big is the sky?"
As with all good questions from children, it made me reconsider what I thought I knew. At the time, he described the world to us with imagery and nuance. He was also captivated by measuring tapes, the ocean and all the secrets that it holds.
In a pre-maternity life, I taught secondary school English literature. That is where, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I became enamoured with picture books. One may expect that I would have formed a bond earlier, say, in my own childhood. But I can't remember anything before early readers (my favourite of which was the zany and enigmatic Go Dog Go by P. D. Eastman).
The books I was finding as a teacher were, however, unlike anything I had read before - they felt strangely opulent, magnanimous in their imagery and ideas. Imagine! A tiny gallery that you can hold in your hands! I would pour over the works of Shaun Tan and Armin Greder and ask teenagers questions about wonder and urbanisation, otherness and the politics of belonging.
That was when the seed fell and pressed itself into the dormant soil of a full-time teacher: one day I would make my own tiny galleries rich with ideas and beauty. When the measuring tape couldn't stretch across the vast cerulean ceiling above us, I knew it was time. The idea was elegant enough - some things simply cannot be measured.
My debut picture book, How Big is the Sky?, begins by introducing young readers to scientific and mathematical concepts such as distance, weight and volume along with the instruments used to measure them.
Drawing us into the world of a child as he sets off on an oceanic adventure with his family, the quantitative science extends to the immaterial in an exploration to find "the most important things" - because, while many things in our world can be counted, other things aren't so easy to measure. Like the warmth of laughter or love that's as limitless as the sky. How do you measure the immeasurable things?
It is impossible to talk about this book without talking about my son. Not only because it is his idea that is painted across the cover, but because he has radically reframed what the "important things" are for me. During the years it took to envision and bring this book into existence, my son lost his ability to speak.
As I fussed over early manuscripts and submitted illustrated drafts through a global pandemic, beside me, the songs and chatter of my son grew eerily silent. Mysteriously, achingly, as Hudson grew older, his words became trapped inside him.
The parental panic of watching our son withdraw from the world and then from us - fearful, restless, angry - was not only painful, it was disorienting. The direction I thought we were headed, the places I had hung my values, were no longer relevant to my life. It became shockingly apparent that what was important had very little to do with scores, rankings or external measures of success.
And while I thought I already knew this, our new reality shed light onto the superficiality of my ideals and demanded a shift of paradigm. As Helen Keller reflected in a letter to Rev. Phillip Brookes in 1891, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but [must be] felt with the heart".
From someone else these words could seem quaint and rather trite, but as a Deafblind activist with her own torturous childhood of silence and frustration, Keller's words sit heavy with me.
As an adult, the noisy demands of life often attach themselves to numbers and figures, deadlines and dot points.
As an educator I watch young people adapt to the world of comparison and evaluation all too quickly, often confusing assessment with their sense of intrinsic value.
We are bombarded, every day, with messaging that can make us feel like we need to measure up.
I wrote this book because I wanted to point towards other metrics of worth.
Things like generosity and courage, wonder and curiosity. Loyalty, determination, pride, love - these are all things that imbue our lives with meaning, and they are the things that we remember long after we've forgotten things like times, places, scores or rankings.
This book, then, is not just about the measuring tape, it's about presenting the profound truth that the most wondrous, awe-inspiring things cannot be put on a scale or measured with a ruler or an altimeter. We already know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminding.
While Hudson's words remain trapped inside of him right now, his ideas remain just as expansive. He shows us every day that things don't have to be quantified or even seen or heard to be real, hold weight and be of tremendous value.
We were going through a phase with measuring tapes. Pulling out the taut metal band and recoiling as it snapped back into its heavy yellow box. Go slowly. See the numbers? We can use it to measure how big something is.
Hudson was a bit over two at the time and our world was one of happy chatter. He sang songs to me and would parrot lines from his favourite books. We spent sunny winter days making tiny and significant discoveries at the beach, painting with our hands and learning the names of all the whales.
It was on one of these idyllic days, stretching out a measuring tape across anything we could find in the backyard, that he turned his earnest face toward me and asked, "How big is the sky?"
As with all good questions from children, it made me reconsider what I thought I knew. At the time, he described the world to us with imagery and nuance. He was also captivated by measuring tapes, the ocean and all the secrets that it holds.
In a pre-maternity life, I taught secondary school English literature. That is where, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I became enamoured with picture books. One may expect that I would have formed a bond earlier, say, in my own childhood. But I can't remember anything before early readers (my favourite of which was the zany and enigmatic Go Dog Go by P. D. Eastman).
The books I was finding as a teacher were, however, unlike anything I had read before - they felt strangely opulent, magnanimous in their imagery and ideas. Imagine! A tiny gallery that you can hold in your hands! I would pour over the works of Shaun Tan and Armin Greder and ask teenagers questions about wonder and urbanisation, otherness and the politics of belonging.
That was when the seed fell and pressed itself into the dormant soil of a full-time teacher: one day I would make my own tiny galleries rich with ideas and beauty. When the measuring tape couldn't stretch across the vast cerulean ceiling above us, I knew it was time. The idea was elegant enough - some things simply cannot be measured.
My debut picture book, How Big is the Sky?, begins by introducing young readers to scientific and mathematical concepts such as distance, weight and volume along with the instruments used to measure them.
Drawing us into the world of a child as he sets off on an oceanic adventure with his family, the quantitative science extends to the immaterial in an exploration to find "the most important things" - because, while many things in our world can be counted, other things aren't so easy to measure. Like the warmth of laughter or love that's as limitless as the sky. How do you measure the immeasurable things?
It is impossible to talk about this book without talking about my son. Not only because it is his idea that is painted across the cover, but because he has radically reframed what the "important things" are for me. During the years it took to envision and bring this book into existence, my son lost his ability to speak.
As I fussed over early manuscripts and submitted illustrated drafts through a global pandemic, beside me, the songs and chatter of my son grew eerily silent. Mysteriously, achingly, as Hudson grew older, his words became trapped inside him.
The parental panic of watching our son withdraw from the world and then from us - fearful, restless, angry - was not only painful, it was disorienting. The direction I thought we were headed, the places I had hung my values, were no longer relevant to my life. It became shockingly apparent that what was important had very little to do with scores, rankings or external measures of success.
And while I thought I already knew this, our new reality shed light onto the superficiality of my ideals and demanded a shift of paradigm. As Helen Keller reflected in a letter to Rev. Phillip Brookes in 1891, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but [must be] felt with the heart".
From someone else these words could seem quaint and rather trite, but as a Deafblind activist with her own torturous childhood of silence and frustration, Keller's words sit heavy with me.
As an adult, the noisy demands of life often attach themselves to numbers and figures, deadlines and dot points.
As an educator I watch young people adapt to the world of comparison and evaluation all too quickly, often confusing assessment with their sense of intrinsic value.
We are bombarded, every day, with messaging that can make us feel like we need to measure up.
I wrote this book because I wanted to point towards other metrics of worth.
Things like generosity and courage, wonder and curiosity. Loyalty, determination, pride, love - these are all things that imbue our lives with meaning, and they are the things that we remember long after we've forgotten things like times, places, scores or rankings.
This book, then, is not just about the measuring tape, it's about presenting the profound truth that the most wondrous, awe-inspiring things cannot be put on a scale or measured with a ruler or an altimeter. We already know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminding.
While Hudson's words remain trapped inside of him right now, his ideas remain just as expansive. He shows us every day that things don't have to be quantified or even seen or heard to be real, hold weight and be of tremendous value.
We were going through a phase with measuring tapes. Pulling out the taut metal band and recoiling as it snapped back into its heavy yellow box. Go slowly. See the numbers? We can use it to measure how big something is.
Hudson was a bit over two at the time and our world was one of happy chatter. He sang songs to me and would parrot lines from his favourite books. We spent sunny winter days making tiny and significant discoveries at the beach, painting with our hands and learning the names of all the whales.
It was on one of these idyllic days, stretching out a measuring tape across anything we could find in the backyard, that he turned his earnest face toward me and asked, "How big is the sky?"
As with all good questions from children, it made me reconsider what I thought I knew. At the time, he described the world to us with imagery and nuance. He was also captivated by measuring tapes, the ocean and all the secrets that it holds.
In a pre-maternity life, I taught secondary school English literature. That is where, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I became enamoured with picture books. One may expect that I would have formed a bond earlier, say, in my own childhood. But I can't remember anything before early readers (my favourite of which was the zany and enigmatic Go Dog Go by P. D. Eastman).
The books I was finding as a teacher were, however, unlike anything I had read before - they felt strangely opulent, magnanimous in their imagery and ideas. Imagine! A tiny gallery that you can hold in your hands! I would pour over the works of Shaun Tan and Armin Greder and ask teenagers questions about wonder and urbanisation, otherness and the politics of belonging.
That was when the seed fell and pressed itself into the dormant soil of a full-time teacher: one day I would make my own tiny galleries rich with ideas and beauty. When the measuring tape couldn't stretch across the vast cerulean ceiling above us, I knew it was time. The idea was elegant enough - some things simply cannot be measured.
My debut picture book, How Big is the Sky?, begins by introducing young readers to scientific and mathematical concepts such as distance, weight and volume along with the instruments used to measure them.
Drawing us into the world of a child as he sets off on an oceanic adventure with his family, the quantitative science extends to the immaterial in an exploration to find "the most important things" - because, while many things in our world can be counted, other things aren't so easy to measure. Like the warmth of laughter or love that's as limitless as the sky. How do you measure the immeasurable things?
It is impossible to talk about this book without talking about my son. Not only because it is his idea that is painted across the cover, but because he has radically reframed what the "important things" are for me. During the years it took to envision and bring this book into existence, my son lost his ability to speak.
As I fussed over early manuscripts and submitted illustrated drafts through a global pandemic, beside me, the songs and chatter of my son grew eerily silent. Mysteriously, achingly, as Hudson grew older, his words became trapped inside him.
The parental panic of watching our son withdraw from the world and then from us - fearful, restless, angry - was not only painful, it was disorienting. The direction I thought we were headed, the places I had hung my values, were no longer relevant to my life. It became shockingly apparent that what was important had very little to do with scores, rankings or external measures of success.
And while I thought I already knew this, our new reality shed light onto the superficiality of my ideals and demanded a shift of paradigm. As Helen Keller reflected in a letter to Rev. Phillip Brookes in 1891, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but [must be] felt with the heart".
From someone else these words could seem quaint and rather trite, but as a Deafblind activist with her own torturous childhood of silence and frustration, Keller's words sit heavy with me.
As an adult, the noisy demands of life often attach themselves to numbers and figures, deadlines and dot points.
As an educator I watch young people adapt to the world of comparison and evaluation all too quickly, often confusing assessment with their sense of intrinsic value.
We are bombarded, every day, with messaging that can make us feel like we need to measure up.
I wrote this book because I wanted to point towards other metrics of worth.
Things like generosity and courage, wonder and curiosity. Loyalty, determination, pride, love - these are all things that imbue our lives with meaning, and they are the things that we remember long after we've forgotten things like times, places, scores or rankings.
This book, then, is not just about the measuring tape, it's about presenting the profound truth that the most wondrous, awe-inspiring things cannot be put on a scale or measured with a ruler or an altimeter. We already know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminding.
While Hudson's words remain trapped inside of him right now, his ideas remain just as expansive. He shows us every day that things don't have to be quantified or even seen or heard to be real, hold weight and be of tremendous value.
We were going through a phase with measuring tapes. Pulling out the taut metal band and recoiling as it snapped back into its heavy yellow box. Go slowly. See the numbers? We can use it to measure how big something is.
Hudson was a bit over two at the time and our world was one of happy chatter. He sang songs to me and would parrot lines from his favourite books. We spent sunny winter days making tiny and significant discoveries at the beach, painting with our hands and learning the names of all the whales.
It was on one of these idyllic days, stretching out a measuring tape across anything we could find in the backyard, that he turned his earnest face toward me and asked, "How big is the sky?"
As with all good questions from children, it made me reconsider what I thought I knew. At the time, he described the world to us with imagery and nuance. He was also captivated by measuring tapes, the ocean and all the secrets that it holds.
In a pre-maternity life, I taught secondary school English literature. That is where, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I became enamoured with picture books. One may expect that I would have formed a bond earlier, say, in my own childhood. But I can't remember anything before early readers (my favourite of which was the zany and enigmatic Go Dog Go by P. D. Eastman).
The books I was finding as a teacher were, however, unlike anything I had read before - they felt strangely opulent, magnanimous in their imagery and ideas. Imagine! A tiny gallery that you can hold in your hands! I would pour over the works of Shaun Tan and Armin Greder and ask teenagers questions about wonder and urbanisation, otherness and the politics of belonging.
That was when the seed fell and pressed itself into the dormant soil of a full-time teacher: one day I would make my own tiny galleries rich with ideas and beauty. When the measuring tape couldn't stretch across the vast cerulean ceiling above us, I knew it was time. The idea was elegant enough - some things simply cannot be measured.
My debut picture book, How Big is the Sky?, begins by introducing young readers to scientific and mathematical concepts such as distance, weight and volume along with the instruments used to measure them.
Drawing us into the world of a child as he sets off on an oceanic adventure with his family, the quantitative science extends to the immaterial in an exploration to find "the most important things" - because, while many things in our world can be counted, other things aren't so easy to measure. Like the warmth of laughter or love that's as limitless as the sky. How do you measure the immeasurable things?
It is impossible to talk about this book without talking about my son. Not only because it is his idea that is painted across the cover, but because he has radically reframed what the "important things" are for me. During the years it took to envision and bring this book into existence, my son lost his ability to speak.
As I fussed over early manuscripts and submitted illustrated drafts through a global pandemic, beside me, the songs and chatter of my son grew eerily silent. Mysteriously, achingly, as Hudson grew older, his words became trapped inside him.
The parental panic of watching our son withdraw from the world and then from us - fearful, restless, angry - was not only painful, it was disorienting. The direction I thought we were headed, the places I had hung my values, were no longer relevant to my life. It became shockingly apparent that what was important had very little to do with scores, rankings or external measures of success.
And while I thought I already knew this, our new reality shed light onto the superficiality of my ideals and demanded a shift of paradigm. As Helen Keller reflected in a letter to Rev. Phillip Brookes in 1891, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but [must be] felt with the heart".
From someone else these words could seem quaint and rather trite, but as a Deafblind activist with her own torturous childhood of silence and frustration, Keller's words sit heavy with me.
As an adult, the noisy demands of life often attach themselves to numbers and figures, deadlines and dot points.
As an educator I watch young people adapt to the world of comparison and evaluation all too quickly, often confusing assessment with their sense of intrinsic value.
We are bombarded, every day, with messaging that can make us feel like we need to measure up.
I wrote this book because I wanted to point towards other metrics of worth.
Things like generosity and courage, wonder and curiosity. Loyalty, determination, pride, love - these are all things that imbue our lives with meaning, and they are the things that we remember long after we've forgotten things like times, places, scores or rankings.
This book, then, is not just about the measuring tape, it's about presenting the profound truth that the most wondrous, awe-inspiring things cannot be put on a scale or measured with a ruler or an altimeter. We already know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminding.
While Hudson's words remain trapped inside of him right now, his ideas remain just as expansive. He shows us every day that things don't have to be quantified or even seen or heard to be real, hold weight and be of tremendous value.

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Stunning lakes, breathtaking mountains and luscious forests are the star of the show in Netflix's mystery thriller Untamed. The six-episode limited series is set within the sprawling Yosemite National Park in northern California and follows the investigation into the death of a young woman. Leading the investigation is Eric Bana's Kyle Turner, a surly, grouchy veteran detective who is still struggling with a personal tragedy and the ensuing breakdown of his marriage. He prefers to work alone, but his buddy Paul Souter (Sam Neill), the chief Park Ranger at Yosemite, insists upon rookie ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) tagging along and helping out. Watching Turner and Vasquez's partnership develop is probably the strongest and most satisfying part of the series. The opening sequence of the series is the perfect way to draw in viewers - it's high-octane, tense and shocking. It's also reminiscent of 2000 adventure hit Vertical Limit. While the series is not exactly prestige TV - the writing is a little obvious and the characterisations are simple - Untamed's short episode count and beautiful location shots make for an enjoyable weekend binge. Bana is engaging in the lead, and Santiago in particular provides great support. Daredevil actor Wilson Bethel also delivers a strong performance, as does Rosemary DeWitt as Turner's ex-wife, Jill. After what feels like an eternity, we are finally back with YA TV's best love triangle - Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad. This third and final season kicks off shortly the summer following the events of season two, but quickly jumps forward three years. Belly is now in her final year of college, Jeremiah (who is still her boyfriend) is just about to finish up his college career, and Conrad is off being a med student. The series immediately brings you back to the bright, dramatic vibes it crafted so well in its first two seasons. Fans of the show either go hard for Bonrad (the coupling of Belly and Conrad) or Jelly (the coupling of Jeremiah and Belly), and whichever team you're on, you're going to be feeling upset by the first couple of episodes of the season. The Fisher boys are always making mistakes and failing to communicate properly, and it seems three more years of development have not cured these issues. While the central pairing might have fans divided, everyone can agree that Taylor and Steven make for a great couple to cheer on, and their journey this season is especially engaging. TSITP's trademark use of moody pop songs continues, with the show pulling out a devastating Taylor Swift number nice and early. Episodes drop weekly, so we'll all have to be patient to find out just how this one plays out - and the creators have warned that the show will not necessarily stay true to the original novels. If you're a fan of the BBC Sherlock series, then this new one from Mycroft himself, Mark Gatiss, is sure to be your cup of English breakfast. Set in post-war 1946, Bookish follows Gabriel Book, a bookshop owner and part-time consulting detective (with a letter from Churchill) who takes on a new apprentice of sorts in recently released prisoner Jack (Connor Finch). Despite some gruesome deaths and a general air of murder and misdeeds, this is a cosy and very British series that will be a massive hit with the right audience. It'll be too twee for some, but the clever writing and overall pleasant atmosphere will be a real winner for others. It features a raft of faces familiar to viewers of British telly, including Polly Walker (Bridgerton), Daniel Mays (White Lines), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen's Gambit), Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell) and more. There's six episodes all up, covering three two-part mysteries. Looking for some salacious and risque drama? Look no further than Hunting Wives. The series has a smashing cast including protagonist Brittany Snow, Malin Akerman, Dermot Mulroney, Katie Lowes and Jaime Ray Newman, and follows a Boston woman who moves to Texas for her husband's work and finds herself drawn into a new crowd of gun-toting, brash women with a complex interpersonal ecosystem. There's also lots of country music, sex and line dancing. Catch the full season on Stan. The salaciousness continues on Binge with a new season of The Couple Next Door: Deadly Attraction. It's all new characters this time. Trekkies can rejoice with the season three return of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+. There's also plenty of documentary action on offer this week. Netflix has true crime docuseries Amy Bradley is Missing, as well as feature film Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan, while HBO Max has two-parter Billy Joel: And So It Goes about the life and career of the legendary singer-songwriter. Stunning lakes, breathtaking mountains and luscious forests are the star of the show in Netflix's mystery thriller Untamed. The six-episode limited series is set within the sprawling Yosemite National Park in northern California and follows the investigation into the death of a young woman. Leading the investigation is Eric Bana's Kyle Turner, a surly, grouchy veteran detective who is still struggling with a personal tragedy and the ensuing breakdown of his marriage. He prefers to work alone, but his buddy Paul Souter (Sam Neill), the chief Park Ranger at Yosemite, insists upon rookie ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) tagging along and helping out. Watching Turner and Vasquez's partnership develop is probably the strongest and most satisfying part of the series. The opening sequence of the series is the perfect way to draw in viewers - it's high-octane, tense and shocking. It's also reminiscent of 2000 adventure hit Vertical Limit. While the series is not exactly prestige TV - the writing is a little obvious and the characterisations are simple - Untamed's short episode count and beautiful location shots make for an enjoyable weekend binge. Bana is engaging in the lead, and Santiago in particular provides great support. Daredevil actor Wilson Bethel also delivers a strong performance, as does Rosemary DeWitt as Turner's ex-wife, Jill. After what feels like an eternity, we are finally back with YA TV's best love triangle - Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad. This third and final season kicks off shortly the summer following the events of season two, but quickly jumps forward three years. Belly is now in her final year of college, Jeremiah (who is still her boyfriend) is just about to finish up his college career, and Conrad is off being a med student. The series immediately brings you back to the bright, dramatic vibes it crafted so well in its first two seasons. Fans of the show either go hard for Bonrad (the coupling of Belly and Conrad) or Jelly (the coupling of Jeremiah and Belly), and whichever team you're on, you're going to be feeling upset by the first couple of episodes of the season. The Fisher boys are always making mistakes and failing to communicate properly, and it seems three more years of development have not cured these issues. While the central pairing might have fans divided, everyone can agree that Taylor and Steven make for a great couple to cheer on, and their journey this season is especially engaging. TSITP's trademark use of moody pop songs continues, with the show pulling out a devastating Taylor Swift number nice and early. Episodes drop weekly, so we'll all have to be patient to find out just how this one plays out - and the creators have warned that the show will not necessarily stay true to the original novels. If you're a fan of the BBC Sherlock series, then this new one from Mycroft himself, Mark Gatiss, is sure to be your cup of English breakfast. Set in post-war 1946, Bookish follows Gabriel Book, a bookshop owner and part-time consulting detective (with a letter from Churchill) who takes on a new apprentice of sorts in recently released prisoner Jack (Connor Finch). Despite some gruesome deaths and a general air of murder and misdeeds, this is a cosy and very British series that will be a massive hit with the right audience. It'll be too twee for some, but the clever writing and overall pleasant atmosphere will be a real winner for others. It features a raft of faces familiar to viewers of British telly, including Polly Walker (Bridgerton), Daniel Mays (White Lines), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen's Gambit), Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell) and more. There's six episodes all up, covering three two-part mysteries. Looking for some salacious and risque drama? Look no further than Hunting Wives. The series has a smashing cast including protagonist Brittany Snow, Malin Akerman, Dermot Mulroney, Katie Lowes and Jaime Ray Newman, and follows a Boston woman who moves to Texas for her husband's work and finds herself drawn into a new crowd of gun-toting, brash women with a complex interpersonal ecosystem. There's also lots of country music, sex and line dancing. Catch the full season on Stan. The salaciousness continues on Binge with a new season of The Couple Next Door: Deadly Attraction. It's all new characters this time. Trekkies can rejoice with the season three return of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+. There's also plenty of documentary action on offer this week. Netflix has true crime docuseries Amy Bradley is Missing, as well as feature film Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan, while HBO Max has two-parter Billy Joel: And So It Goes about the life and career of the legendary singer-songwriter.


The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Cosby star was with young daughter when he drowned
TV star Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter when he drowned in Costa Rica at the weekend, it's been revealed. The Cosby Show star died at the age of 54 on Sunday whilst on holiday and it has now emerged that he was in the water with his daughter - whose name has not been made public - when the incident occurred. Police have told ABC News that surfers attempted to save Malcolm and his daughter after the pair were spotted struggling against the current. A surfer was able to save the Suits star's daughter by returning her to safety on his board whilst Malcolm was pulled back to shore by a volunteer lifeguard and another surfer. The actor - who was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show - was given 45 minutes of CPR but was pronounced dead at the scene. A Facebook post from the Carribean Guard read: "We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, in Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong hangover current and died by drowning. It was all very fast and even though there were people on the beach who came in to rescue him, they didn't arrive in time. He was pulled underwater with no vital signs and despite having been provided with CPR manoeuvres on the beach, his resuscitation was unsuccessful. "Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches. It's a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning. It's a beach that the Caribbean Guard has patrolled for the last few years. [Not] this Sunday though. "Due to the recent water incidents on Playa black we have allocated resources there and on Chiquita, another beach, for its currents." The post then appealed to the national and regional governments for 'strong support' to further efforts to minimise drownings which it said were rising all over the country. TV star Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter when he drowned in Costa Rica at the weekend, it's been revealed. The Cosby Show star died at the age of 54 on Sunday whilst on holiday and it has now emerged that he was in the water with his daughter - whose name has not been made public - when the incident occurred. Police have told ABC News that surfers attempted to save Malcolm and his daughter after the pair were spotted struggling against the current. A surfer was able to save the Suits star's daughter by returning her to safety on his board whilst Malcolm was pulled back to shore by a volunteer lifeguard and another surfer. The actor - who was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show - was given 45 minutes of CPR but was pronounced dead at the scene. A Facebook post from the Carribean Guard read: "We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, in Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong hangover current and died by drowning. It was all very fast and even though there were people on the beach who came in to rescue him, they didn't arrive in time. He was pulled underwater with no vital signs and despite having been provided with CPR manoeuvres on the beach, his resuscitation was unsuccessful. "Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches. It's a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning. It's a beach that the Caribbean Guard has patrolled for the last few years. [Not] this Sunday though. "Due to the recent water incidents on Playa black we have allocated resources there and on Chiquita, another beach, for its currents." The post then appealed to the national and regional governments for 'strong support' to further efforts to minimise drownings which it said were rising all over the country. TV star Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter when he drowned in Costa Rica at the weekend, it's been revealed. The Cosby Show star died at the age of 54 on Sunday whilst on holiday and it has now emerged that he was in the water with his daughter - whose name has not been made public - when the incident occurred. Police have told ABC News that surfers attempted to save Malcolm and his daughter after the pair were spotted struggling against the current. A surfer was able to save the Suits star's daughter by returning her to safety on his board whilst Malcolm was pulled back to shore by a volunteer lifeguard and another surfer. The actor - who was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show - was given 45 minutes of CPR but was pronounced dead at the scene. A Facebook post from the Carribean Guard read: "We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, in Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong hangover current and died by drowning. It was all very fast and even though there were people on the beach who came in to rescue him, they didn't arrive in time. He was pulled underwater with no vital signs and despite having been provided with CPR manoeuvres on the beach, his resuscitation was unsuccessful. "Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches. It's a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning. It's a beach that the Caribbean Guard has patrolled for the last few years. [Not] this Sunday though. "Due to the recent water incidents on Playa black we have allocated resources there and on Chiquita, another beach, for its currents." The post then appealed to the national and regional governments for 'strong support' to further efforts to minimise drownings which it said were rising all over the country. TV star Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter when he drowned in Costa Rica at the weekend, it's been revealed. The Cosby Show star died at the age of 54 on Sunday whilst on holiday and it has now emerged that he was in the water with his daughter - whose name has not been made public - when the incident occurred. Police have told ABC News that surfers attempted to save Malcolm and his daughter after the pair were spotted struggling against the current. A surfer was able to save the Suits star's daughter by returning her to safety on his board whilst Malcolm was pulled back to shore by a volunteer lifeguard and another surfer. The actor - who was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show - was given 45 minutes of CPR but was pronounced dead at the scene. A Facebook post from the Carribean Guard read: "We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, in Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong hangover current and died by drowning. It was all very fast and even though there were people on the beach who came in to rescue him, they didn't arrive in time. He was pulled underwater with no vital signs and despite having been provided with CPR manoeuvres on the beach, his resuscitation was unsuccessful. "Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches. It's a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning. It's a beach that the Caribbean Guard has patrolled for the last few years. [Not] this Sunday though. "Due to the recent water incidents on Playa black we have allocated resources there and on Chiquita, another beach, for its currents." The post then appealed to the national and regional governments for 'strong support' to further efforts to minimise drownings which it said were rising all over the country.