I love living in my valley with its beautiful mountains and snow-fed streams, but I do miss spending days at the beach. If you go to the coast here in Oregon you better wear warm clothing because it is cold there for much of the year. Only crazy people swim and surf in the frigid Pacific waters on our coastline. I may be somewhat crazy, but I am not that crazy.
Today's poetry title takes us to sunny sands where we build sandcastles, eat ice cream, and throw sticks for dogs to retrieve. Now if only I could find a way to jump into the pages.
S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet
Today's poetry title takes us to sunny sands where we build sandcastles, eat ice cream, and throw sticks for dogs to retrieve. Now if only I could find a way to jump into the pages.
S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet
Richard Michelson
Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 9
Sleeping Bear Press, 2014, 978-1-58536-862-4
For people who don’t live near the sea or ocean, going to
the beach in the summer is often a delightful treat. There are so many things
to do and to see. There are so many adventures waiting to be found. For some,
creating a sand angel is the perfect way to start a seaside visit. All one has
to do is to lie down on the sand and then open and close ones arms and legs as if
one is “opening and closing a fairy-tale gate.”
Of course a sojourn at the seaside would not be complete if one did not build a sandcastle. The more elaborate it is “with turrets and towers,” and perhaps with “parapets, arrow slits, keeps, and a moat,” the better. Kite flying is also a popular thing to do. At least with a kite you can be sure to have a “bite,” which cannot be said for fishing.
Of course a sojourn at the seaside would not be complete if one did not build a sandcastle. The more elaborate it is “with turrets and towers,” and perhaps with “parapets, arrow slits, keeps, and a moat,” the better. Kite flying is also a popular thing to do. At least with a kite you can be sure to have a “bite,” which cannot be said for fishing.
Humans are not
the only ones who enjoy a vacation at the beach. Dogs also love to roll in the
sand, “Dive into the surf,” sniff at everything and anything, fetch sticks, and
run here, there, and everywhere.
For every letter
of the alphabet this book’s author gives his readers a poem that focuses on
something that is associated with being at the beach. Each poem has its own
flavor and voice, so readers find something new and different on every page. Some
of the poems are amusing, while others are more contemplative. In the book there
is blank verse, rhyming verse, haiku, and many other poetry forms to explore.
Throughout the book the poems are paired with wonderful illustrations, all of
which complement the poetry beautifully.
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