The Castle Builder: Story and Pictures

by Dennis Nolan

A young boy builds an unusual sand castle on the beach

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Dennis Nolan is an illustrator and writer of children's books.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED the castle building and the progression of Sir Christopher's accomplishments. The pen and ink drawings are exquisite.

[Jenna Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Castle Builder, by Dennis Nolan, is a tall tale featuring a little boy and his imagination at the beach. The little boy begins his story by making a castle in the sand, but by the end his a full-fledged knight and a self proclaimed "tamer of dragons". "The Castle Builder" can be classified as a tall tale because of his growth from just making a castle in the sand to becoming exaggerated to the point that he his the knight defending his castle. During his adventure, Sir Christopher, builds castles, battles dragons, other knights, and then the ocean itself all as a single young boy. I would recommend this book for 2nd or 3rd graders because the vocabulary featured within the story is more advanced, but the story line of extraordinary conquests will capture the minds of all young adventurers.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book of a boy, a beach, a sandcastle and his imagination.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little story about a young boy with a healthy imagination for playing on the beach. He dreams up this world in which his sand castle is the location of many adventures. The illustrations are wonderful and the story works out just fine for the end result. Any child learning to read or enjoys building sand castles will enjoy this wonderfully short story. Great for a quick bed time read.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dragon only appears on 3 pages; all of the illustrations are well-executed b&w drawings; excellent in draftsmanship.

[Melanie]

Imagination too.

[James Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the library.