Beach Feet

PreS-Gr 1—"I'm at the beach! Yippee!" exclaims a young boy as he races toward the water clutching his yellow tube. Readers will savor the day with him as he experiences the joys and surprises of his environment, mainly through his feet. Those feet leap into the air to escape the burning sand, relax as a cold wave makes "sandy ripples" that "tickle...toes," and discover a shell to explore. And when the boy tires of splashing in the waves and wiggling his toes in the surf, he floats on his tube and can "feel the sun on [his] feet....Toasty and warm." The brief text consists mostly of short sentences and phrases and perfectly captures the voice of a young child, alive with exuberance and joy. The pastel crayon drawings are full of movement, depicting waves erupting in white foam or washing along the shore in squiggly ripples. Focusing on the child, most often from the waist down, Saito provides unusual perspectives: two oversize feet swishing in bubbling waves, two large soles facing readers as the boy basks in the sun. This is a perfect summer read that will have youngsters yearning to grab their bathing suits and rush down to the beach to join this charming playmate.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT