Customer Reviews

One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For any child who has taken home a seashell or a special stone from the beach, this book will rekindle memories of a wonderful day spent at the shore. The lilt of language here is complemented by the gentleness of the images. This lovely book will be enjoyed by parents reading aloud and by children listening and analyzing the pictures.

I really love this artist's work (Kristina Swarner) which is what led me to purchase the book. That and my love of the seaside... The art in the book is beautiful and, in my opinion, the standout feature. The story is sweet, too. A very simple, rhyming tale of seaside objects that are counted one to ten. Recommended for art lovers, mothers of young daughters (sons too, although the story features a girl), and seaside lovers.

Doris K. Gayzagian, One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book (National Geographic, 2006)

This is one of the best kids' books I've read in the last few months-- a very simple counting book raised above its humble stature by fantastic, eye-catching illustrations by Kristina Swarner (add a "dot com" after her name to check out some of her work online). Gayzagian's words sparkle with rhythm and alliteration, wonderfully complemented by Swarner's slightly out-of-focus landscapes of sand, sun, and ocean. This one's a keeper. *** ½

Most counting books are fairly mundane - you count to ten. Sometimes people get freaky and you count DOWN to one, or you count by multiples, or you get the overachiever counting-book authors who go up to ten (or sometimes higher) and then all the way back down. Regardless, while a good educational lesson, they're not precisely emotionally stimulating.

This book jumps way past simple counting text (which, incidentally, itself winds down at about the half-way mark to make way for more lively situational rhymes) by virtue of the beautiful, hauntingly simplistic impressionistic page-spreads. The little girl is simply and classically drawn, and her environment is correct without being overly detailed. (Check the "skate egg cases" page for a perfect example, although we always called them 'devil's purses.')

The day of simple isolated enjoyment of nature and imagination (there's no one else around but mom and little girl) finishes off sweetly with a focus on sleepy memories and fond recollection of good times, both excellent lessons for young children (and sometimes their parents) about a time-tested way to find simple pleasures in life where you can find them.

As a former beach resident (I miss it so!) this story is a treasure, reminding me of many good times in the past, and hopefully in my future as well!

Basic counting book with descriptions of things found on the bay/beach. I didn't much like this book until I got to the eleventh page and the little girl started making things with the items she found, "I make a castle in the sand with walls and steps and towers And trim it with the things I've found and make believe for hours..." This was the only page that made me smile with my own memories of the beach. The pictures are a bit drab and washed out. This story held my interest just long enough to finish, but doesn't really stand out for me.