The Village by the Sea is an Indian family story written by Anita Mazumdar Desai. Anita Mazumdar Desai is an Indian novelist born in 1937. Her published works include adult novels, children's books and short stories. The Village by the Sea is published in London by Heinemann in 1982. It is a novel for young people based on poverty, hardships and sorrow faced by a small rural, community in India. She got Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for this novel.

The story revolves around the poverty, hardships, and sorrow experienced by a small rural community in India. The cover art features a captivating pencil illustration that captures the essence of the story through a close-up focus on the face, effectively conveying emotions. The background complements the foreground by depicting a typical village scene in a subdued light, enhancing the impact of the foreground imagery.