Beach Day!

In the companion to Snow Day!, Sam, Pam, Will, and Jill decide that it is the perfect day for the beach, so they put on their swimsuits, pack a picnic lunch, and head for the shore.

Kindergarten-Grade 1-Nash's gouache-and-pencil illustrations are the star here as they depict elements of a day at the beach shared by four animal friends (they could be crocodiles or alligators). These creatively clad cohorts cavort through bright orange pages, leaving readers with no doubt as to the meaning of beach, nap, sun, and a bevy of related terms. "They pedaled/UP./They pedaled/DOWN./They looked for beach signs all around./They pedaled/UNDER./They pedaled/OVER./They/pedaled/in/a field/of clover." Sam, Pam, Will, and Jill also provide lots of opportunities to learn phonics, word patterns, and connections between ideas when the story is read aloud. A romp for the characters and readers alike.
Phyllis M. Simon, Bay Shore School District, NY
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PreS. Beach Day! is an exuberant romp for the nursery-school crowd. On a sweltering day, four alligators head for the beach on a multiseat cycle, stopping at the playground and picnicking before reaching the ocean in time for a moonlit swim. Lakin's elemental text is just right for toddlers, and Nash's candy-colored spreads match the words' spare playfulness with uncluttered images filled with details that will tickle preschool funny bones. The rhythm and rhyme lose momentum at the end, but this will still win over plenty of preschoolers, whether they are heading for the beach or to bed. Gillian Engberg
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