What do you think?
Rate this book
Magic Beach
Filled with fun rhymes and make-believe stories, this wonderfully illustrated children's tale offers an imaginative view of a beach that includes swimming, surfing, and splashing. From sand castles and rock pools to boats and fish, the realistic scenes evoke images of a summer day along the waterfront where anything can happen.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
4 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Alison Lester
124 books118 followersHas a son Lachie Hume, who is also a published children's book author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 29, 2015
I've always liked this book from when I was little and it's a book that children all seem to love no matter how old the book now is. The illustrations are great to look over more than once, I was reading it recently to a child and then I started to notice a pattern with certain object would turn up in nearly every page (pretty normal for children books though)..I used that to my advantage to play a "hide and seek" type of thing after the story had long finished.
I think this book can be enjoyed by all ages..Kids from different ages will take different things from the book so therefore you can read it when they are young and then reread it later as the years pass and see what they think of it again.
This books mixes reality with the imagination world, another book that uses rhymes to get the children's interest and it works well. If you enjoy the seaside and if your kid does then this is a book that would be well worth a read.
I think this book can be enjoyed by all ages..Kids from different ages will take different things from the book so therefore you can read it when they are young and then reread it later as the years pass and see what they think of it again.
This books mixes reality with the imagination world, another book that uses rhymes to get the children's interest and it works well. If you enjoy the seaside and if your kid does then this is a book that would be well worth a read.
September 29, 2019
This book reminded me so much of my childhood; used to do a lot of the same things at the beach when I was a kid :)
February 4, 2020
I read this book at Storytime today in the Library and the children and families loved this timeless, beachy journey :)
May 18, 2010
I really loved the illustrations, particularly the various pictures of the ocean. The colors used and the artistic styles were just outstanding. Many of the beach/sand scenes were also fabulous. The illustrations are intricate; there is so much to look at on many of the pages.
The way the story is told is interesting. Each page has a rhyme. On the “factual” pages it always starts with “At our beach, at our magic beach,” but there are different beginnings on each “fantasy” page. The rhymes are short enough for even very young children, and most of them are good.
I liked the person reading, the dog, much else. The (fantasy) shark page I found disturbing, and I wish that it hadn’t been included.
Overall, I enjoyed this and it’s a good addition to picture books about beaches, and will certainly whet many readers’ appetites for summer holidays.
The way the story is told is interesting. Each page has a rhyme. On the “factual” pages it always starts with “At our beach, at our magic beach,” but there are different beginnings on each “fantasy” page. The rhymes are short enough for even very young children, and most of them are good.
I liked the person reading, the dog, much else. The (fantasy) shark page I found disturbing, and I wish that it hadn’t been included.
Overall, I enjoyed this and it’s a good addition to picture books about beaches, and will certainly whet many readers’ appetites for summer holidays.
April 18, 2015
It was a fun book to read to my daughter. Anyone having grown up by the sea will enjoy the story and pictures.
July 8, 2016
Ahhh... Memories, I remember listening to my teacher read this when I was in primary school. The illustrations are wonderful!
September 19, 2018
Lovely story about the seaside. Alternates between actual things happening on the beach and fantasy things that happen on the beach, rescuing little Prince James on a dragon and finding treasure. Uses repatition. Really nice illustrations. Very calm, rhythmic almost like the waves.
June 14, 2022
Beautifully illustrated and a beautiful depiction of childhood imagination.
March 4, 2019
Richie’s Picks: MAGIC BEACH by Alison Lester, Little Brown/Joy Street, 1992, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-316-52177-2
“And I might let you off easy
Yeah I might lead you on
I might wait for you to look for me
And then I might be gone
That’s where I’ve come from and where I’m going
And I am lost in between
I might go out to that phone booth
And leave a veiled invitation on your machine”
-- Ani DiFranco, “Shy” (1995)
I wanted to share my fondness for Ani DiFranco with a friend. But, as I played one of my many favorites, my friend pointed out anachronisms in the song. “Phone booth?” “Message machine?”
Yeah, she’s right. And while it doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for for the song, it’s admittedly from a past time.
There is plenty of room in children’s literature for books that bask in a current moment with details that will cause the story to eventually reach an expiration date. But there’s something special about timeless child-centric books that have the power to connect with generation after generation. That’s a category within which Alison Lester’s lyrical MAGIC BEACH falls.
“At our beach, at our magic beach
we swim in the sparkling sea,
surfing and splashing and jumping the waves,
shrieking and laughing with glee.
Wild white horses are thundering past,
racing to get to the land
plunging and prancing and tossing their heads,
then fading away on the sand.”
MAGIC BEACH consists of 15 verses; all but the last are coupled verses. The first verse of each pair describes seashore activities in which the child characters are engaged. The second verse describes the imaginative, fantastical side of the children’s play.
The quality of the poetry is sufficient to be read aloud without illustrations. Lester’s distinctive watercolor illustrations are at least as memorable as the text. A multihued young cast cavort on the sand, in the water, in a moored rowboat, and up on a dock.
Back in the early 90s, I frequently read this book to my children and my preschool students. Now I’ve begun reading it to my grandchildren. The universality of the child-centered beach play and related imaginings makes this poetic tale as fresh and exciting today as it was back then.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“And I might let you off easy
Yeah I might lead you on
I might wait for you to look for me
And then I might be gone
That’s where I’ve come from and where I’m going
And I am lost in between
I might go out to that phone booth
And leave a veiled invitation on your machine”
-- Ani DiFranco, “Shy” (1995)
I wanted to share my fondness for Ani DiFranco with a friend. But, as I played one of my many favorites, my friend pointed out anachronisms in the song. “Phone booth?” “Message machine?”
Yeah, she’s right. And while it doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for for the song, it’s admittedly from a past time.
There is plenty of room in children’s literature for books that bask in a current moment with details that will cause the story to eventually reach an expiration date. But there’s something special about timeless child-centric books that have the power to connect with generation after generation. That’s a category within which Alison Lester’s lyrical MAGIC BEACH falls.
“At our beach, at our magic beach
we swim in the sparkling sea,
surfing and splashing and jumping the waves,
shrieking and laughing with glee.
Wild white horses are thundering past,
racing to get to the land
plunging and prancing and tossing their heads,
then fading away on the sand.”
MAGIC BEACH consists of 15 verses; all but the last are coupled verses. The first verse of each pair describes seashore activities in which the child characters are engaged. The second verse describes the imaginative, fantastical side of the children’s play.
The quality of the poetry is sufficient to be read aloud without illustrations. Lester’s distinctive watercolor illustrations are at least as memorable as the text. A multihued young cast cavort on the sand, in the water, in a moored rowboat, and up on a dock.
Back in the early 90s, I frequently read this book to my children and my preschool students. Now I’ve begun reading it to my grandchildren. The universality of the child-centered beach play and related imaginings makes this poetic tale as fresh and exciting today as it was back then.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
January 22, 2016
Alison Lester is so prolific. I would never claim to be a completist, though I've read many of her books over the years and at the risk of being controversial, feel her greater strength lies in illustrating over writing. Her books are often a list format like Clive Eats Alligators or else they profile a journey; in either case of limited interest for me although she consistently showcases her amazing artistic talents and her subjects are presented in the best possible light. Children love exploring the details in the pictures and in the borders.
Magic Beach, now twenty years old, is her stand out book in my view, and I'm pretty sure it's never been out of print. It's a delightful book to read aloud for the rhythm, flow and lyrical prose. You could not go wrong buying this book for a child or else sharing it with your own. I have not read it in a while but remember many parts by heart, the sign of a well written book! The ending is especially lovely, with peaceful children asleep in a huge old bed, after great adventures.
At our beach,
at our magic beach,
the old bed is cosy and wide.
To the sounds of the ocean
we sleep through the night…
…adrift on the evening tide.
Every kid should be so lucky.
Magic Beach, now twenty years old, is her stand out book in my view, and I'm pretty sure it's never been out of print. It's a delightful book to read aloud for the rhythm, flow and lyrical prose. You could not go wrong buying this book for a child or else sharing it with your own. I have not read it in a while but remember many parts by heart, the sign of a well written book! The ending is especially lovely, with peaceful children asleep in a huge old bed, after great adventures.
At our beach,
at our magic beach,
the old bed is cosy and wide.
To the sounds of the ocean
we sleep through the night…
…adrift on the evening tide.
Every kid should be so lucky.
January 2, 2014
I absolutely adore this book and have done so since I was very young, I read this for the first time to my daughter today and she was juast as captivated as I was the first time I read it. Beautiful illustrations coupled with cute rhymes makes this enjoyable and a great book to read along with a child learning to read. I hope many future generations continue to enjoy this book full of imagination and seaside fun.
February 25, 2014
Lovely picture book that combines a visit to the beach with imagined adventures (e.g.,the sandcastle becomes an actual castle where a child has to be rescued by a fire-breathing dragon). The illustrations are beautiful and detailed, with lots of things to look at. The only part of the story I didn't like was the bit where they catch a shark and drag it from the sea. That tweaked my conservation radar. But a great book overall.
February 16, 2015
A beautifully illustrated picture book, with a delightful poem to go with it. I enjoyed the way the pictures and poems alternate between the daytime, realistic beach and the beach of the imagination, full of adventure and magic and the odd smuggler.
Makes me miss the beach holidays of my childhood.
Makes me miss the beach holidays of my childhood.
May 8, 2017
This is a lovely book. It depicts various activities throughout the day at the beach, from building sand castles falling asleep at night within sound of the ocean.
Each double page describes a time and activity (the verse is a little bit inferior to the pics). The subsequent double page has an imagined fantasy activity.
I give this 5 stars for the illustrations, 4 for the text.
Each double page describes a time and activity (the verse is a little bit inferior to the pics). The subsequent double page has an imagined fantasy activity.
I give this 5 stars for the illustrations, 4 for the text.
February 2, 2017
Delightful picture book about the adventures, both real and imagined, that children can have on an Australian beach. I love it! Not least because the bookseller told me that the beach in question isn't far away from where I live, and looking more closely at the pictures, I can see that now.
January 30, 2025
Jack received this book from John and Cathy, our family friends in Australia. He sat in the rocking chair and I sat on the floor. He snuggled Leawood and listened quietly for the whole book. His favorite part was the pirate treasure, like he has seen in Peppa Pig.
April 13, 2010
I liked this Australian book very much. There are lots of interesting things to look at in the pictures. The best part is the illustration showing a girl rescuing a boy from a dragon!
June 30, 2015
This is my new favorite picture book. It is beautifully written and illustrated. It is imaginative.
February 26, 2016
Magic Beach is the best book. I love it. I love the prose, I love the pictures. It reminds me of Dunsborough Beach.
Anything by Alison Lester gets 5 stars from me!! Love her!!
Anything by Alison Lester gets 5 stars from me!! Love her!!
October 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this, I liked the imagination aspect of it along with the prose.
Son was a little young for it yet (2) and wasn't very engaged will try again in a couple of years.
Son was a little young for it yet (2) and wasn't very engaged will try again in a couple of years.
December 4, 2018
Just a magical book to read over and over to your children
May 14, 2020
A wonderful celebration of all things familiar and beloved about the Australian beach and imagination that knows no limits. A thoroughly delightful book with a surprise on every other page.
February 14, 2020
I had never come across this book before, but one of my pupils bought it as a present for my baby (due in just a few days!) I grew up near the sea and have always loved the beach, so I really enjoyed this one. I cannot wait to read this with my little one and I can imagine having lots of fun finding objects in the detailed pictures and cuddling up together to read this after a day at the seaside. Lovely!
May 17, 2018
I like several of Alison Lester's books. If you like this one I also recommend Imagine and Journey Home.
The illustrations are well done and very detailed, and so my 3.5 year old kids can spend a lot of time looking at them without getting bored. I've read it to them many times without the book getting old.
The illustrations are well done and very detailed, and so my 3.5 year old kids can spend a lot of time looking at them without getting bored. I've read it to them many times without the book getting old.
December 14, 2019
An evocative mix of beach experiences and make-believe, couched in flowing, rhythmic text that can lilt off a reader's tongue. A baby grandson, supposedly reluctant to sleep, was blissfully inert on an second reading.
August 2, 2020
Magic Beach by Alison Lester is a story of a girl who goes to her magic beach. She swims in the ocean and searches the warm pools for animals, she looks for driftwood and goes in her boat, she goes to the jetty and fishes, and makes a fire at night.
September 4, 2020
This book had the most wonderful pictures. I could nearly have brought the book for this reason. The rhyming of the words were nice too. If I lived by the ocean, I think this would be a real catch for a kid.
May 1, 2022
Re-read it this year before gifting a copy to a friend for their baby shower.
Still great. A lovely mix of nature and imagination.
The rhymes and illustrations are beautiful and heart felt.
Would definitely recommend any Alison Lester book to young families.
Still great. A lovely mix of nature and imagination.
The rhymes and illustrations are beautiful and heart felt.
Would definitely recommend any Alison Lester book to young families.
May 9, 2022
Super stuff. Off to Cornwall soon and the magical beaches there will no doubt fire the imagination like the one here. My two are very excited by smugglers and treasure and sandcastles...now all we need is the weather...
December 1, 2018
one of my most favorite books as a child <3!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews