Beachy and Me

February 22, 2016
Alone in her island lighthouse, Pixie Picklespeare is bored—but not for long. A whale gets stranded on her beach, and now she has a new problem: “She pushed the whale/ She heaved and shoved./ He just had too much blubber!” Staake (My Pet Book) plays up the contrast between the enormous midnight-blue whale (“Hello—my name is Beachy!”) and tiny Pixie, whose tongue lolls out from the exhaustion of trying to free her new friend. Yet the two share the same wide-eyed glee in a characteristically Staake salute to mid-20th-century cartoon art. High tide frees Beachy, and the two enjoy deep-ocean fun in a series of spreads, diving, leaping, and tumbling as Pixie rides on Beachy’s back and follows him under the waves. She’s heartbroken when he migrates (“Beachy listened to his heart./ It told him ‘Time to sail!’ ”), but he returns after a few pages. Staake’s adventure offers eye-popping color, a wealth of sea life, and the entrancing vision of a companion who appears intimidating but is actually as devoted as a puppy. Ages 3–7. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian MacKenzie Agency.

February 15, 2016
In rhyming text, the diminutive, blonde, pink-faced Pixie Picklespeare befriends a whale named Beachy. The book begins with a colorful, gently humorous, double-page map of tiny Pixie's Island "and surrounding ocean environs." The layout and the retro art are reminiscent of the board game Candyland--especially at Great Candy Cane Coral Reef. The charm ends there. Pages of garish cartoons and vacuous verse tell the tale of Pixie's boredom, all alone inside her lighthouse, until a loud burp leads her outside. The blue creature who has been beached on her island says, "Oh dear, this must look rather odd-- / quite anything but peachy. / Apparently, I've washed ashore. / Hello--my name is Beachy!" There follows a simultaneous succession of 10 similar images of Pixie trying to push the behemoth back into the sea, which does not work. The tide conveniently rescues Beachy, who promises to be Pixie's "ocean playtime guide." The two cavort through the ocean during the summer, becoming "a wet 'n' wild odd couple!" (Exclamation points are intrusively frequent.) Then Beachy admits the hard news to Pixie that he must migrate to be with other whales. Pixie is back to moping inside her lighthouse. Will he return next summer? A few more pages of singsong rhymes and less-than-inspired art lead to the expected conclusion. A child as bored as Pixie may read this once. (Picture book. 2-5)

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April 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-In a tall lighthouse, in a big ocean, small-island dweller Pixie Picklespeare (the "only kid who's here!") is BORED. Enter the very large, very blue Beachy the whale, who's washed ashore and needs her help. After many tries, Pixie's "ker-splash" at a timely high tide sends both water lovers into the sea to learn and play together in a summer of ocean exploration. From wave crest to sea caves, the pair flips and flops throughout the rhyming text and a handy grid map of the environs of Pixie's Island, including a compass rose, a reef, a kelp forest, a local shipwreck, a geological sea chimney, and the whales' migratory route. This is a tale of friendship lost and regained, as whales must migrate. Contrasting font sizes and generous spreads highlight the behemoth's friendly grin as Beachy's quickly identifiable blue cartoon shape again returns to fill the page. VERDICT This "true-blue friend" tale is a general purchase recommendation for all libraries, especially those on the coasts.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Preschool-G You might think that Pixie has it made in the shade. She lives in a pink house on her own tiny island, where she operates a lighthouse and plays all day. Unfortunately, as the island's only resident, Pixie is lonely. And worsebored. That all changes when a hulking blue whale named Beachy washes up on shore. Pixie rushes to his aid, and in a comical sequence of illustrations, the small girl is shown heaving, shoving, tugging, and rolling the whale toward the water. Finally back in the ocean, Beachy declares, I'll be your true-blue friend. Boredom, farewell! The pair spend the entire summer swimming and riding waves, until the time comes for Beachy to migratethough he promises to return. Staake's (My Pet Book, 2014) signature digital illustrations boast a summery array of colors and big-eyed, rounded figures that bring humor and unguarded expressions (glee, face-melting ennui) to every spread. As the rhyming text bounces evenly along, young readers will be swept away by this whale of a friendship tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)