(1) K-3 Illustrated by Qin Leng. Two adults and three children take the bus to the beach and spend the day building and rebuilding sandcastles in this wordless picture book conceived by Lawson and brought to life by Leng (the team behind Over the Shop, rev. 3/20). Leng renders the beach in sunny watercolors and delicate, wispy ink lines that capture the movement of dune grass, waves, and sand in the wind. The pacing moves like waves, too, with panoramic double-page spreads alternating with pages of panels that zoom in on the action. Leng offers details that create an authentic setting and narrative while leaving room for child viewers to interpret the characters' relationships to one another as they will. There's a corresponding generosity in the rich array of people who surround the children, each involved in their own activities--­sunbathing, picnicking, running, playing. The narrative focus is on the three children and their sandcastles as, throughout the day, ocean waves, an errant hat, and a wandering toddler force reconstruction, each iteration growing ever more elaborate (and higher up the shoreline). The joy here is in the process and in the warmth of a happy day, and readers will enjoy being part of it until the evening tide forces the crew to pack up and take the bus home.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) PS An end-of-summer standoff between seasonal accoutrements (sans humans) highlights the tough transition from summer vacation to the start of school. A toy shovel is looking especially relaxed on the beach when Ruler shows up, casting a shadow over the scene. The two rivals begin aggravating each other, in text that bursts with groan-worthy puns: "'You school supplies are all the same,' Shovel said, getting a dig in. 'Work, work, work! When do you have any fun?'" Their taunts escalate to a challenge--a sand castle–building contest. Beach Ball, Swim Mask, and Bucket as well as Scissors, Pencil, Index Card, and others arrive and join sides. (Whistle referees.) A bright beachy setting, with the silhouette of an amusement park in the background, provides the perfect backdrop for the colorful assortment of personified tools, toys, and accessories, their expressive eyes heightening the story's humor and drama. Just when it looks like the school supplies will declare victory, a tidal setback threatens their sand "palace of learning." An act of generosity by the beach toys leads to a new connection between education and fun--and a joint end-of-summer beach party. While unlikely to diffuse any human resistance to a new school year, the silly seaside story, with its jaunty cartoon art, will help readers recall the joys of summer well into the fall.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) PS Intent on impressing her older sister at the beach, Jules plans to build a big sandcastle. When the waves foil her plans, she assumes "the Ocean" is "out to get her." There's much humor, such as in the way Jules defiantly stares down her nemesis, saying, "Not today, Ocean." Expect giggles when she loses her bucket to the waves, dejectedly collapses on the sand, and determines there's "no hope." After her sister comes in from the waves and puts down her boogie board to tell Jules the ocean isn't her enemy, they work together. Here, the book's sunny, bright full-bleed spreads are juxtaposed with ones featuring small vignettes of the girls bonding, constructing a splendid sandcastle as a team; this pacing change builds the drama at the story's close when a massive wave destroys their co-creation. In the triumphant double-page spread that follows, though, they engage in an exuberant high five (after a brief moment of shock), having enjoyed the spectacle of it all. Sound effects are used to dramatic effect, as the ocean waves meet the shore: "SPLASH!" "SLAP!" "CRASH!" The cheerful palette is the star of the show, with its bright pinks (swimsuits, bucket, and beach towels), blues (ocean, sky), and vivid yellows (sun). A funny, felicitous summer read.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(2) PS Jamie finds other beachgoers' friendly queries annoying; she just wants to build sandcastles and create fanciful creatures from found natural objects. When a woman approaches with an easel and "a lot of things, but no questions," it's Jamie who initiates conversation. Myers's (Battle Bunny) thoughtful layout literally gives each artist space, placing girl and woman alone or on facing pages as they work independently. A pleasing resolution shows how the child has inspired the adult's art-making.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sara Palacios. This addition to the Girls Who Code book franchise introduces younger kids to coding fundamentals in an unusual setting: the beach. Young vacationer Pearl enlists robot Pascal to help build a sandcastle with basic concepts of sequences, loops, and if-then-else. The child-friendly text couples well with the simple, sunny art, rendered digitally in combination with gouache and acrylic paintings. A final guide reinforces the programming lessons.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Charles Grosvenor. Written by Bruce Hale. This new story features illustrations done "in the style of Syd Hoff." The dinosaur joins Danny and family for a beach day. They play in the water and sand and enter a sand-castle contest. The dinosaur accidentally wrecks Danny's castle but saves the day when high tide threatens the other entries. While tepid, this is better than previous follow-ups to Hoff's original stories.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn