The Sandcastle That Lola Built

March 1, 2018
Lola's beach day becomes more enjoyable when she gets a little help from some friends.The opening text adopts a cumulative pattern, reading: "This is the sandcastle that Lola built. // This is the tall, tall tower / Of the sandcastle that Lola built." Lola starts off her construction alone, but after she's topped the tower with sea glass "that signals mermaids," the narration is interrupted by Lola's own words: "This is the foot--'Hey! You stepped on my sandcastle!' " Lola immediately forgives the boy (called only "the dude with a Frisbee" or "Frisbee Dude") who's stepped on her sand castle and invites him to build with her. He adds a wall, and the cumulative text moves on...until it's interrupted by the arrival of a toddler and his toy truck. This pattern continues, with lines added to the cumulative text as both the sand castle and the group of children building it get bigger. Then, Lola is bereft when a big wave destroys their creation, but her new friends convince her to build a new one, together. Berube's illustrations, done in mixed media and collage, add visual humor and interest with their expressive depictions of the racially diverse children and background details--including mermaids hidden in clouds and sea. Lola has tan skin and straight, dark hair; Frisbee Dude has pale skin and curly, red hair, and the little toddler has medium brown skin and, adorably, no hair.Dig into this playful, beachy read. (Picture book. 2-6)

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April 2, 2018
This celebration of kid-driven collaboration from Maynor (the Ella and Penguin books) and Berube (My Little Half-Moon) starts with an uh-oh moment: while retrieving his Frisbee, a boy accidentally tramples on Lola’s sand castle. But instead of crying or accusing, Lola enlists: “You can use this bucket to fix it,” she says. “What should we add next?” Encounters with other kids begin in a similarly unpromising manner but also result in more helpers, and Maynor gives each one a fun moniker: along with Frisbee Dude, there’s Little Guy, a preschooler who uses his toy bulldozer to help build a moat, and Minnesota Girl, who adds shells from the collection she had planned to take back to the Midwest. The classic cumulative structure—a spin on “The House That Jack Built”—becomes a refrain after each new contributor joins (“These are the shells/ That lead to the moat/ That surrounds the wall/ That protects the castle”), and the collage and mixed-media illustrations make the shoreline landscape and the chill vibe of a beach vacation feel very close at hand. In an age of adult-organized play, this book offers a fun but pointed reminder that children are more than capable of organizing themselves. Ages 4–7.

May 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-While building a sandcastle at the beach, Lola enlists the help of several children playing nearby. Cumulative text describing "the tall, tall, tower of the sandcastle that Lola built," as well as the sea glass on top to signal mermaids, is interrupted when a foot belonging to "dude with a Frisbee" accidentally kicks it. Instead of becoming angry, Lola enlists his help, and he builds a wall. "This is the wall that protects the castle...that Lola and Frisbee Dude built," continues the text, until a toddler with a bulldozer arrives. Lola redirects "Little Guy's" digging to constructing a surrounding moat. Finally, Minnesota Girl adds a seashell path and the masterpiece is complete-when..."CRASH!" a huge wave destroys it. Lola is desolate until her new friends convince her to join them in making a new one. The cartoon illustrations are done in mixed media and collage. The cumulative text continually expands to include each one's contribution to the project. Little Guy's vocabulary appropriately consists of single words. Most scenes are spreads, and some include images of mermaids in clouds and sea. Lola's grief at the castle's destruction before the mermaids even move in is echoed in a scene of the child wrapped in blue hunched over atop blue-hued sand with mermaids floating away in the blue sky. VERDICT The delightful text, coupled with nondogmatic examples of intent cooperation, make this a wonderful choice for group sharing and a great vehicle for launching the beach season.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

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