OFF TO THE BEACH!

There’s more than meets the eye in this day-at-the-beach primer.

Rhyming text with fun-to-say sound effects and simple illustrations with ingenious tactile features bring the sights, sounds, and sensations of a trip to the beach to life in this 10-page board book. Uncluttered pages feature common clothing and accoutrements a child might encounter on a visit to the seaside, from a polka-dot hat with colorful, inlaid fabric to shiny embossed sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen, a sun suit, and rubbery beach shoes that go “squish, squish, squish” when one walks. Yellow, glittering sandpaper depicts the sand that crunches underfoot; a smooth expanse of gleaming, wavy blue is the ocean on which a tiny sailboat floats. Children should be fascinated with the inviting array of things to touch: the spiral contours of seashells, the ribbed arms of a starfish, a shiny, plastic bucket and spade, and a plush, cloth beach towel, for example. The day’s festivities conclude with a picnic packed in a lunchbox that little fingers can open, followed by a Popsicle for dessert. The book’s sturdy construction should withstand the punishment of grabby hands. The rhyme scheme is consistent, though the meter may occasionally confuse. Braille text indicates page numbers and several prominent vocabulary words.

Not life-changing but engaging—extra points for Braille.