About This Book:
Summer holidays by the sea have a rhythm all their own. With a few resonant images, Cowley takes us straight to the end of a long hot day with beach treasures under the pillow and the salty smell of the sea. The cadence of the final words echoes the shushing waves in a gentle signal of time for readers to sleep―”good day, good sea, good sand, good night.”
This simple poem by internationally-renowned author Joy Cowley transports the reader to a childhood summer with language that asks to be read over and over. Hilary Jean Tapper’s warm watercolor and ink illustrations add an inclusive cast of extended family, friends, and children of different ages.
*Review Contributed By Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
A Gentle Day at the Beach
In rhyming verse, a cozy day at the beach is described. Five small children with a variety of complexions wake up, venture to the shore, and spend some time paddling at the edges of the water before returning to a cottage. There, they get ready for bed, say goodnight to the adults in the kitchen, and drift off to sleep.
Good Points
This would make an excellent read aloud at bedtime, since the story is under fifty words long. The words on the page are nice and large, as there are not many of them, making it a great choice for emerging readers who want to follow along.
The real draw here is Tapper’s illustrations, which have a beautiful, soft, pastel feel to them, similar to the work Anita Jeram in Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You. The backgrounds take up the entire page, and are filled with all manner of details.
Add this to a quiet bedtime rotation that includes Godin’s Hush-A-Bye Night: Goodnight Lake Superior, Gamble’s Good Night Beach, and McLean’s Snuggle Tight, Kiss Goodnight.
