The Seashore Book [Paperback]

Charlotte Zolotow (Author), Wendell Minor (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Trophy Picture Books

"A young boy, who has never seen the sea, asks his mother to describe it. From there, Zolotow carefully chooses her words to create a poem full of the colors, sounds, and sights of a day at the beach. Minor's softly detailed renderings reinforce the gentle mood." 'SLJ. "[Zolotow's] words have a special lilt that lingers long after the book is closed." 'NYT.

Notable 1992 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1992 (NSTA/CBC)
A Reading Rainbow Selection

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A boy's mother describes the shore in what PW termed "tactile, vivid and musical images"; watercolors "evoke place with imaginative accuracy and visual grace." Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A young boy who lives in the mountains and has never seen the sea, asks his mother to describe it. From there, Zolotow carefully chooses her words to create a poem full of the colors, sounds, and sights of a day at the beach. The verbal description is firmly framed within oceans of white space on the left and matched by the equally well-crafted gouache and watercolor paintings on the right. Minor's softly detailed photoreal renderings use the perspective of a gull to capture the vastness of the sea and sky as well as that of sandpipers running along the shore to denote precision of movement. Zolotow's words are so descriptive that the paintings seem almost redundant. They do work together to reinforce the gentle mood of the quiet story so that readers, like the boy, can close their eyes and be there too. --Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 7, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064433641
• ISBN-13: 978-0064433648
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Marine Life > Fiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisitely written and illustrated, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seashore Book (Hardcover)

In The Seashore Book, Charlotte Zolotow creates an image of a day at the seashore so clearly that a reader could almost hear the seagulls and feel the ocean breeze caress the face. Zolotow chooses the perfect words to describe the sights and sounds of the seashore. When she describes the lighthouse "golden gleam on, golden gleam gone" the reader can easily imagine a summer evening on Cape Hatteras with a golden light shining out to sea. The illustrations are no less impressive. One can almost feel the sun warming the skin and the sand rubbing against your toes. I often give the book as a baby gift. It is one that you could share with a child over and over or enjoy yourself when you need a reminder of sun and sand on a dreary winter day.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely, Lyrical Book!, May 26, 2004

By 

Lynn (New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seashore Book (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my children shortly after we spent the summer in a beach house on Hatteras Island, NC. This book completely captures the essence of a day there . . . or on any seashore for that matter. It immediately became one of my children's favorite books as the prose is so evocative and the illustrations so lovely. Seven years later, it is still one of their all-time favorites. Mine, too! Over the years, I have given many copies of "The Seashore Book" as gifts and have received nothing but rave reviews from parents and children. I've just ordered another copy from Amazon to give as a new baby gift. You see, this book is truly timeless.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to look at over and over again., October 3, 1999

By 

Marcia Trimble([e-mail]) (Los Altos Hills, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seashore Book (Hardcover)

When I used to go into the children's corner at a bookstore on Nantucket Island I would see THE SEASHORE BOOK and look at it over and over again. Now that I own it I still go to that same book corner and look for it. I think anyone who loves this book would like to read MALINDA MARTHA AND HER SKIPPING STONES (also available from amazon.com). For anyone who hasn't seen the ocean like the little boy in THE SEASHORE BOOK or for children who go to the seashore alot, it is enjoyable to look at the many illustrations of the activities at the seashore, and know about skipping stones. Children can't have too many books on such an inspiring subject.