AT THE BEACH

Name: AT THE BEACH
Author: Elizabeth Spurr
ISBN: 978-1-56145-583-6

by Elizabeth Spurr ; illustrated by Manelle Oliphant ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2013

While the youngster was pleasingly more self-reliant and self-assured in previous offerings, his play and his interactions...

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As in In the Garden and In the Woods (both 2012), a young boy enjoys life in the great outdoors.

Here, he delights in a day at the beach. One, two or three words on each page make up the rhyming text: “Sun Sky / Shore Boy // Sand Pail / Spade Toy.” The youngster makes a sand birthday cake with his shovel and pail, but an inevitable wave destroys it. His mother, nearby, comforts him with a picnic lunch and a “Lap Nap” as he dreams of the sea. Oliphant’s soft drawings, which look to be a mix of watercolor and colored pencil, capture the flow of sand and water well, though beach-going children will wonder at the pair’s solitude on this apparently perfect summer day.

While the youngster was pleasingly more self-reliant and self-assured in previous offerings, his play and his interactions with the natural world continue to ring true. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)

Pub Date: May 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-56145-583-6

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: May 14, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
IN THE RAIN
by Elizabeth Spurr ; illustrated by Manelle Oliphant

- BOOK REVIEW
IN THE SNOW
by Elizabeth Spurr ; illustrated by Manelle Oliphant

- BOOK REVIEW
IN THE WIND
by Elizabeth Spurr ; illustrated by Manelle Oliphant

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ROSA LOVES CARS

From the All About Rosa series

by Jessica Spanyol ; illustrated by Jessica Spanyol ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2018

An effervescent celebration of play in the early years.

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As with Spanyol’s stellar Clive books, Rosa’s favorite activities buck gender stereotypes.

The toddler races toy cars, jumps monster trucks, and builds a car out of a cardboard box with her buddies in what looks like a day care or preschool setting. Spanyol’s childlike lines, soft palette, and chunky figures are as cheerful as ever. The text is mostly straightforward, simple narration peppered with exclamations from Rosa and her chums: “Rosa and Marcel play in the sandpit. ‘Dig-a-dig, dig-a-dig, scoop!’ sings Rosa.” Rosa has brown skin and black, curly hair, and she wears bright yellow eyeglasses. Her friends include Samira, who uses a wheelchair and is likely of South Asian descent; Mustafa, who appears black; Biba, who has light-brown skin and straight, black hair; and Sarah and Marcel, who both present white. Three other equally charming titles accompany this offering. In Rosa and Her Dinosaurs, the heroine dons a purple dress and plays with a collection of toy dinosaurs. Rosa and her buds (all wearing helmets) roll through the pages of Rosa Rides Her Scooter. And in Rosa Plays Ball, Rosa pushes a cart with various kinds of balls to toss about with her friends outside.

An effervescent celebration of play in the early years. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-78628-125-8

Page Count: 14

Publisher: Child's Play

Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ROSA'S BIG SUNFLOWER EXPERIMENT
by Jessica Spanyol ; illustrated by Jessica Spanyol

- BOOK REVIEW
CLIVE IS A NURSE
by Jessica Spanyol ; illustrated by Jessica Spanyol

- BOOK REVIEW
CLIVE AND HIS BABIES
by Jessica Spanyol ; illustrated by Jessica Spanyol

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YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

by Sandra Magsamen ; illustrated by Sandra Magsamen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 26, 2018

A fun but inessential novelty, as much toy as book.

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A familiar song repackaged as a board book doubles as a finger puppet.

Many a caregiver has sung this refrain to a newborn or toddler, ignoring the decidedly sad lyrics of the original. Magsamen lays claim and sweetens it up. She uses only the chorus and changes the last line to “I’ll give you lots of hugs… / and kisses every day” instead of the expected “Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Her cheery artwork, reminiscent of applique, recalls the song’s country-music roots and is anything but sad. The pages are decorated with hearts and cuddly-looking caregiver-child animal pairs—foxes, skunks with sunny yellow umbrellas, bunnies, raccoons, and squirrels. The thick, heart-shaped pages include a circular die-cut hole through which readers might poke the smiling felt sun puppet attached to the back cover. A finger inserted from the back makes the sun wiggle and will capture even the youngest baby’s attention. The puppet feature does not obstruct the initial page turns, but when a toddler says, “Do it again” (as they doubtless will), quickly re-positioning the finger puppet is somewhat challenging.

A fun but inessential novelty, as much toy as book. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)