To the Beach! (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator) "The car is packed..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Mom, Dad, and their five youngsters are headed for the beach. However, little Katie can't go without Fido, Mama needs the beach umbrella, baby needs "Ducky pail," and Dad…. For each forgotten item, it's "Hit the brakes! Reverse the car!…Weave through cars. Avoid a crash.…tires screech!" Finally, when everything is retrieved and they are on their way, a storm hits. And, just when everyone and everything is safely in the garage, the sun reappears! Out come the beach chairs, the cooler, the wading pool, snacks, mud pies. So who needs a beach to play in the water and sun when you have a backyard? Rhyming text and bouncy and boldly colored illustrations in acrylic on watercolor paper capture the frenzy surrounding this hilarious, truly not-to-be-undone, fiercely determined to have a good time family. A rip-roaring fun read-aloud.–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. As bright as a box of Popsicles, this sunny picture book puts a lighthearted spin on a day of family chaos. Packed into a minivan, a large family heads for the beach, but the dog has been left behind. Circling back for Fido is only the first of a series of return trips for forgotten items--until a rainstorm hits, and the family returns home for good. An upbeat ending finds the family cheerfully re-creating its beach day by sunbathing on the lawn. The short, rhyming text scans with an easy bouncing beat as it maintains the story's stop-and-go tension: ^B"That was it! / We're packed at last. / We're on the highway, moving fast! / . . . Oh, no . . . / A thunder crack . . . A sudden storm! / We're turning back." Wescott's ink-and-watercolor pictures extend the comical pandemonium in the car, with detailed rear-window views of wild siblings and the roof's precarious tower of beach loot. Pair this perfect warm-weather read-aloud with Phyllis Root's Rattletrap Car (2001), another story of a family outing gone hilariously awry. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152164901
• ISBN-13: 978-0152164904
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #383,711 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Silly book kids enjoy!, January 12, 2008

By	R. Tucker "mother of 4" (Texas, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered this to read to my children's elementary school classes on parent-reader day. I think the story is kinda silly but not as humorous as a magazine review made it sound. The kids seemed to enjoy it, however, and that's what is important!

4.0 out of 5 stars To the Beach!, October 29, 2009

By	C. Hines - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My sons(ages 2 and 4) absolutely adore this book. My aunt borrowed it for us (along with a stack of other great books) from the library while we were visiting her at the beach. I was more than happy to leave this book behind as I was so sick of reading it...BUT when your kids love a book this much, you really should add it to their personal library -- afterall books that capture a child's imagination helps encourage a love of reading (in my opinion). My four-year-old now reads this book along with me as he's memorized the entire thing!

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the most annoying books EVER, July 9, 2009

By	Adrienne Jensen (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is in my Top 5 Most Annoying Children's Books EVER. Basically, the family is going to the beach but apparently they didn't bring anything with them when they left. The whole book consists of each person shouting out something they forgot and then the family goes back to get it, causing traffic accidents as they do so without regard for anyone else. Normally I don't mind rhyming in books but in this one it was especially irritating. That is probably because the rhymes were such a stretch. It definitely would have been better without the author forcing the words to rhyme. All in all, I would definitely never buy this book. I checked it out from the library and that alone was a waste of my time.