Beach Day [Hardcover]

Karen Roosa (Author), Maggie Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this charming picture book, a cheerful family tumbles out of the car and onto the beach, ready for a perfect day. Buoyant verse just right for reading aloud and bright, playful illustrations capture the singular feeling of a hazy, lazy day by the ocean, complete with a ball game with new friends, water-skiers and sailboats, and a picnic lunch of fried chicken and deviled eggs. This book is a captivating introduction to the beach for young children and an irresistible gift for beach lovers of any age.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Young readers will be searching for flip-flops and sunscreen upon finishing this kicky look at a summer day spent at the shore. In her picture book debut, Roosa serves up myriad salty, sandy and sunny images in bouncy verse. ("High clouds flurry,/ Sand crabs scurry--/ Hungry swimmers/ In a hurry!/ Chicken legs,/ Deviled eggs.../ What a banquet!/ Seagull begs.") From building sandcastles to romping in the surf and enjoying a beach blanket feast, Roosa incorporates all the fun things that families do on a beach-vacation day that stretches from morning to twilight. Smith (This Is Your Garden) matches Roosa's joyful tone step for step, depicting families of every size, shape and color, donning all manner of bright bathing suits, sun hats and cover-ups. A rainbow of sand toys, towels, beach umbrellas and coolers dot the dunes and the beach itself like colored pebbles. Smiling children and kind-faced adults (and a couple of playful pooches) make use of every part of nature's playground; sailors and kite-fliers in the background further extend the energetic on-the-sand and in-the-water scenes. All told, this book will have the whole family hankering for a day by the water. Ages 3-6.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Delighted families rush onto the beach. Parents and children water-ski, bury themselves in the sand, splash and cavort in the water, play ball, and build colossal sand castles. Gliding over heads and swirling under feet, the rhyming text is well complemented by Smith's jubilant and frolicsome pictures. The excitement and enthusiasm of the day are perfectly captured by the artist's bright, lively watercolors and the author's active, playful text. Pair this with Marie-Louise Gay's Stella, Star of the Sea (Groundwood, 1999) and Silvia Francia's Roberta's Vacation (Kane/Miller, 1998) for a swimmingly fine storytime.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; None edition (March 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618029230
• ISBN-13: 978-0618029235
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun in the sun!, November 4, 2001

By 

Anthony D. Fredericks (Dover, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beach Day (Hardcover)

This is truly a magical book - full of fun and full of whimsical and delightful illustrations. A perfect read-aloud book, the spirited text will keep young listeners captivated and begging for many readings. Karen Roosa has created a book that should be part of every home and classroom library. In a word - Fantastic!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beach Day, September 27, 2003

By 

S. Redding (Roswell, Ga United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beach Day (Hardcover)

I have never reviewed a book before! Ever! Until now that is. I purchased this book at my local childrens book store before my ... daughters first trip to the beach. That was in July and it is now September and my daughter still LOVES this book after almost daily readings. She looks for it daily and constantly mutters "beach day" as she looks around the house for where she last left it. lol Do yourself a favor and get this "gem" of a book. I have read it to her so many times she can read most of it along with me. This is one book I never get tired of reading to her either. Just a great book!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joyful read for parent and child alike..., July 2, 2006

By 

A. Miller "athyme" (Lansing Mi United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beach Day (Hardcover)

This book is as much fun to read when your front yard is covered with snowdrifts as it is when the temperature is soaring! I began borrowing this book from the library in mid-December when my daughter was 2 1/2. Since then we have reached the renewal limit on this book a number of times. It is always a pleasure to find a children's book whose illustrations and text are equally appealing as happens in Beach Day. Maggie Smith's delightful, detailed watercolors will capture your child's imagination and inspire them to look at the book over and over. Karen Roosa's poetic text captures the essence of a day at the beach with lines such as "Waves roar, rush and soar, rolling crashing to the shore" and "Noon light, shimmers bright, in the distance, hot and white". I knew I needed to buy my own copy when I heard my daughter (now 3) reciting verses from Beach Day while playing in her swimming pool. This book is a must-have for any child's library.