Birmingham Parent June 2008 : Page 36
By Paige Gardner Smith The Best Kids’ Books on the Beach Unless you live seaside year-round, a trip to the beach is one of the most exciting and awe-inspiring excursions a child will ever take. Perhaps it’s something about the way the seashore suddenly and dramatically surrounds its visitor, stimulating every sense. Seeing the immense size of the ocean for the first time, feeling feet sinking into sand, hearing the rumble and hiss of endless waves, smelling the tang of shore odors (good and bad) and tasting salt spray or sand in a sandwich – all of our senses combine to take in the unique wonder of the narrow band where land meets sea. Before your kids hit the beach, give them a chance to hit these beach books that highlight all the things that make a trip to the seashore vivid, memorable and most of all - fun! Wave By Suzy Lee Publisher: Chronicle Just as the shore is the point where vastly different worlds collide, Wave is the site of climactic encounter between the power of the great ocean and the wonder of a small child. Without text, artist Suzy Lee shares the story of a young girl's meeting with the waves on the shore. The girl's reactions to the sea, loosely duplicated by a group of shorebirds, evolve from anticipation and interest to apprehension and defiance before finding a comfort zone of understanding. Lee's illustrative ability to maximize effect with minimalist strokes of charcoal is simply stunning. In panoramic two-page spreads that feature only two colors, her sketchy lines and masterful use of blue acrylic and digital manipulation combine to make the book speak volumes about the two protagonists. The wordless yet lyrical dance between the girl and the wave is an enchanting introduction to breakers on the shore and our innate and varied responses to them. Bats at the Beach By Brian Lies Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Some of the best beach moments happen after dark – if you're a bat. When the sun goes down, bats emerge from their roosts laden with picnic hampers, gripping beach umbrellas, and dangling fat beach bags stuffed with towels and books (naturally). The bats' shared goal as they take flight is to make the most of a night at the beach! Sharing the beach experience through the voice of the bats, the rhyming couplets have almost perfect balance making the text ideal for read-aloud. Author and artist Brian Lies creates a vividly engaging portrayal of bat families as they swim, surf, sing and do all the things that people typically do at the seashore. Lies' bats are beautifully rendered with generous amounts of charm and humor. Lit by campfire, moonlight or the electric light at the seaside snack stand, Bats at the Beach is a merry evening mirror of a day at the beach where nothing is overlooked and all is illuminated. progresses by building the scene and setting the stage for a trip to the beach. First sand, then sun, then beach toys are added (along with more people and playmates on each page). But as the roll call of beach necessities nears completion, something is still missing – the one thing that makes a beach trip perfect – the reader, of course! Ideal for reading aloud before and after a trip to the shore, this title offers an exciting peek at beach surroundings and activities that will have children counting the days until they arrive at the seashore. All You Need for a Beach By Alice Schertle, Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee Publisher: Harcourt Trying to describe the attraction of the seashore to someone who has never been there is harder than it seems. Introducing the beach, element by element, All You Need for a Be is a wonderful primer for a chi first visit to the seashore. Sta with one child and one grain of sand, the rhythmic story 36 | Birmingham Parent | June 2008
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