CORA'S BEACH ADVENTURE

A day at the beach with Gran features both science fun and ice cream sundaes for young Cora.

Cora loves riddles, and no sooner has she settled down on the beach with Gran than one presents itself: Why does her bucket full of dry sand just collapse rather than make a tower when she turns it over? What if she pours in some water first? No, soggy sand just flops rather than standing up. Well, at least that leaves a lump that Cora can decorate with small shells and turn into a sandy sundae, with sea foam for whipped cream! In later chapters, Cora learns about tides, encounters a crab and small fish in a tide pool, and even (with Gran’s help) rescues a stranded sea star. And before she and Gran head home—with a stop for real ice cream sundaes—she thinks over her earlier efforts and what went wrong, then tries one last time for a bucket shaped tower using sand with just a little added water. Success! For young readers intrigued by Cora’s experiences, the author rounds off her happy tale with instructions for experimenting with their own mixes of sand and water, as well as notes on tides, sea stars, and sandcastle physics. Cora’s father presents East Asian, while her mother and grandmother present white.

A sandy treat for young STEM-winders.