Bebe Goes to the Beach [Hardcover]

Susan Middleton Elya (Author), Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Mama leaves the shopping behind to spend a relaxing day at the beach. But sweet Bebe won't sit still! He toddles after the waves, chases a bouncing pelota, and even surfs on a sand sculpture. When Bebé finally tuckers out, Mama gets her chance to soak up el sol.

Mama and Bebe spiced things up in their first book together, Bebé Goes Shopping--and now they're at it again!

Includes a glossary of Spanish words.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—In this follow-up to Bebé Goes Shopping (Harcourt, 2006), Salerno joyfully blends 1950s advertising-style illustrations in vivid gouache and watercolors with colored inks and pencils. Elya rhymes through a day at the beach with bilingual Bebé and his "muy bonita Mamá." She cheerfully trails after the active boy as he plays, digs, picnics, chases a ball, and tries out a surfboard sand sculpture. At the end, the sweet toddler gives Mom a respite by napping under an umbrella. A 36-word glossary assists, though context clues keep things rolling. Elya's writing is as lively as her hero: "The rolling white olas are foamy and loud./Bebé waddles after them, right through the crowd./Mamá's coming, too; she remembered the lotion—/he squeals as his toes hit the icy-cold ocean." Not just for students of Spanish, this merry exploration provides wholesome fun for anyone who enjoys the beach, or mischievous babies. Add Brigitte Luciani's How Will We Get to the Beach? (North-South, 2000, available in Spanish or English) to enjoy a mother and son who have a tough time trying to reach the ocean with all their paraphernalia.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

The colors and excitement of a day at the beach are captured by the vivid illustrations and happy expressions of Bebe and Mama in this, the second book about Bebe. It is a busy day at the beach, and Bebe joins right in. He lets his mom apply suntan lotion, and then he rushes to jump into the waves and feel the icy-cold water. After eating a picnic lunch, Bebe plays in the sand. While admiring some sand sculptures, Bebe sees a surf board. He cannot resist; he jumps on it. Oops! The board was made of sand. It breaks, and the sculptor comes running. Mama and Bebe go for ice cream and make tracks in the sand. Finally, the tired little boy falls asleep on his beach towel, and Mama has a chance to relax in her lounge chair. The text is liberally sprinkled with Spanish words, all of which are listed in a glossary that includes notes about proper pronunciation. Most of the words can be guessed by studying the illustrations, and those kids who are not conversant in Spanish will be able to make a game of figuring out the meanings. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford  (Children's Literature )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152060006
• ISBN-13: 978-0152060008
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,427,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Middleton Elya grew up near Des Moines, Iowa, went to college 35 miles away, and then left her state to teach in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. She wanted to teach 3rd grade but ended up teaching high school Spanish instead (due to her double degree from Iowa State University). After 8.5 years of teaching in the Midwest, she moved to San Diego to get married and ended up teaching Spanish to native speakers in Ramona, California. Then a move with her husband to the Bay Area left her jobless, with a new baby, and with plenty of time to write. She started submitting stories for publication in 1988 and finally struck gold with Say Hola to Spanish, a nonfiction picture book from Lee & Low, in 1994. Now, 26 titles later, Elya is working on novels, as well. She has two grown children and one nearly-grown child, and still loves to make up stories, do school visits, and remember what it was like to be a kid. She also has an antiques and book store in Danville, California, where she sells autographed copies of her books. Check it out at www.thepolkadotattic.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice book, and a fun resource, July 24, 2008

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bebe Goes to the Beach (Hardcover)

This fun little book tells the story of a baby whose mother takes him to the beach. His little world is described in English and Spanish, making this book fun and educational. Overall, my four-year-old and I liked this book. Its illustrations are nice and colorful, but one word of warning - with all of the Spanish words herein, you had better know how to pronounce them. It would have been nice if the author had slipped in phonetic spellings for those of us who do not speak Spanish. But, that said, it was a nice book, and a fun resource.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bebe! We Love You!, August 7, 2010

By 

Annabelle R. Lawler "bananabelle" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bebe Goes to the Beach (Hardcover)

If you buy this book, be prepared to read it over & over, & over again. My niece *LOVES* this book. She can't get enough of it. I don't know if it's the pictures (which are vibrant & rich in color) or if it's hearing the sounds of Spanish words being read to her, but she adores this book. She's loved it since she was two. She's almost four now & still picks it out of stacks of other books. The Spanish words are nicely woven into the story, and there is a glossary in the back of the book that tells the definition & pronunciation of the words. Regardless of whether or not you're teaching your child Spanish, this book is a lot of fun. And Molly-Breeze definitely recommends it!

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Book, January 7, 2009

By 

J. Searcy "lrgirl" (Fishers, IN, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bebe Goes to the Beach (Hardcover)

I love the way the author incorporates Spanish into a fun story, though I preferred her previous work, "Bebe Goes Shopping". I think learning Spanish is going to be highly relevant for this next generation of kids. This book starts them well on their way.