Beach Day

April 23, 2001
Young readers will be searching for flip-flops and sunscreen upon finishing this kicky look at a summer day spent at the shore. In her picture book debut, Roosa serves up myriad salty, sandy and sunny images in bouncy verse. ("High clouds flurry,/ Sand crabs scurry—/ Hungry swimmers/ In a hurry!/ Chicken legs,/ Deviled eggs.../ What a banquet!/ Seagull begs.") From building sandcastles to romping in the surf and enjoying a beach blanket feast, Roosa incorporates all the fun things that families do on a beach-vacation day that stretches from morning to twilight. Smith (This Is Your Garden) matches Roosa's joyful tone step for step, depicting families of every size, shape and color, donning all manner of bright bathing suits, sun hats and cover-ups. A rainbow of sand toys, towels, beach umbrellas and coolers dot the dunes and the beach itself like colored pebbles. Smiling children and kind-faced adults (and a couple of playful pooches) make use of every part of nature's playground; sailors and kite-fliers in the background further extend the energetic on-the-sand and in-the-water scenes. All told, this book will have the whole family hankering for a day by the water. Ages 3-6.

April 1, 2001
PreS-Gr 2-Delighted families rush onto the beach. Parents and children water-ski, bury themselves in the sand, splash and cavort in the water, play ball, and build colossal sand castles. Gliding over heads and swirling under feet, the rhyming text is well complemented by Smith's jubilant and frolicsome pictures. The excitement and enthusiasm of the day are perfectly captured by the artist's bright, lively watercolors and the author's active, playful text. Pair this with Marie-Louise Gay's Stella, Star of the Sea (Groundwood, 1999) and Silvia Francia's Roberta's Vacation (Kane/Miller, 1998) for a swimmingly fine storytime.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2001
Ages 3-5. Similar in structure to Hubbell's " Sea, Sand, Me!" this begins as several families arrive at a beach. A multicultural group of children play ball together, eat lunch, build sandcastles, and wade in the water before packing up their gear for the trip home. The short, pithy rhymes express vivid impressions of the experience: "A freckled nose, / sandy toes. / Ocean's salty / Sea breeze blows." The lively art in deep, vivid watercolor washes is filled with well-observed details. Kids will have fun poring over and talking about the illustrations as they find new stories with each turn of the page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)