On Gull Beach

Gr 2–4-A young man is walking along the sand on a New England beach, collecting sticks and stones, when he spots a beautiful starfish along the shore. As he reaches for the starfish, a gull takes it away. Yolen takes readers on a journey as the young boy chases a group of gulls as they play catch with the starfish high above the ocean's surface. The rhyming couplets create a singsong narrative that helps build anticipation for listeners. "The star came shooting down to me. I reached up for it tenderly." The young protagonist saves the starfish from harm and returns him back to his natural habitat of the sea. The illustrations accurately depict a Cape Cod summer scene with lovely shades of watercolor, allowing readers to almost feel the warm sand and cool breeze from the blue sky. The appendix of the book contains a section about other birds that can be found on a New England beach. Readers can also scan the QR code next to each animal to hear the bird sounds. This book is the third in a picture book series about bird life in New England that includes On Bird Hill and On Duck Pond.