Beach time! Even if your state is land-locked like mine is, you probably have beaches at lakes & rivers. (And here's a fun fact--South Dakota has more miles of shoreline than Florida!)
Magnolia is at it again (#MagnoliaSaysDont) in Elise Parsley's second book, If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, DON'T!. I was happy to attend the book launch, where Elise read the book (wearing water wings), gave a brief art lesson, and offered snacks and coloring pages.
The text and pictures work together perfectly to create a hilarious story about obedience, persistence, and creativity. Naturally, when Magnolia's mother suggests a trip to the beach, Magnolia chooses to take along a non-traditional beach "toy," the piano. Naturally, because it's Magnolia, things go awry. But she ends up content and brings home a more traditional treasure from the beach itself. What cracked me up: Magnolia's expressions throughout, the silly situations, and how Mom remained completely unbothered by the whole thing! The cover is a good hint at the mayhem within!
Another great beach book aimed at very young children (my three-year-old granddaughter giggled all the way through) has only 1 word repeated several times. It's the title word in this book by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Patrice Barton.
Uh-Oh! follows the adventures of a boy and girl playing at the beach. Their moms are in the background, unbothered by the day's events where uh-ohs happen at every turn, and then turn out just right.
If your family is ready for hikes, smores, and campfires, this book/CD combo is for you! I was pleased to win Can You Canoe? from Sterling Publishing via Dylan Teut's blog.
The book features the lyrics to the twelve songs contained on the accompanying CD by the Okee Dokee Brothers. Each song, illustrated by Brandon Reese, is in keeping with the music's acoustic Americana style. Within minutes, everyone will be singing along, making the travel miles more fun! Here's a taste of the title song:
Happy summer planning, reading, and singing!
