When the Tide Is Low

by Sheila Cole, Virginia Wright-Frierson (Illustrator)

A mother answers her eager child's questions about what they will see "when the tide is low." "Handsome and useful."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Includes a glossary of sea animals.

Genres: Picture Books, Realistic Fiction, Summer

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.


This author also writes as: Sheila R. Cole - Psychology

see also: Sheila Cole - Illustrator

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a little girl eager to go to the beach. But, her mom tells her that they have to wait until the tide is low. While the little girl waits impatiently, she swings on the swing and her mother uses that as a way to teach her about how the tides work--back and forth, "up and down," like the movement of the swing. They also bide the time by talking about some of the creatures they will see at the beach when they go. I found it a sweet little story about the joy and anticipation in going to the ocean and I loved the illustrations because they seemed so cozy and 80s style and made me nostalgic for my own childhood! I was sad to see so few reviews of this book here as, even though it's a bit dated, it still offers a simple and pleasant introduction to the tides and creatures you'll see while tidepooling. The story itself is satisfying (without the "lesson") while the factual info in the back about the various creatures is a useful teaching opportunity.

Here's a link to the cover art (I'm hoping one of my awesome GoodReads Librarian friends can add the image to the GR page): http://www.amazon.com/When-Tide-Low-S...

[Samantha Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awards: None

Grade Level: Preschool-Third Grade

Original Summary: This story is about a little girl who wants to go explore the beach with her mother. Her mother explains to her that it is high tide, and finds ways to explain what that means to the little girl. They both talk about all the anemones, fish, crabs and more that they will be able to find until the tide is low enough for them to go.

Original Review: This story is informational because it teaches young children the difference between high and low tide. As it teaches children about the tide, it also gives information about the things that you may see in the ocean when the tide is low enough. I like the way that the information in this story was presented and the analogy used to explain the difference between high and low tide.

In Class Uses: (1) I could have the students draw and describe something that they have seen at the beach, or if they have never been to the beach, then ask them to draw and describe one thing they would really want to see. (2) The creatures in the story could be used for some kind of math counting activity, such as counting how many legs a starfish has, etc. (3). Depending on the grade/age level, I could start a conversation with the students about different ways we could describe the high and low tides of the ocean like the book describes it using a swing.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about waiting for something good. 🌊🐚 It features beautiful muted paintings, in which the clothing styles clearly indicate that this was published in the 80s. 😆 Regardless, it's another beautiful nature book illustrated by Virginia Wright-Frierson which I greatly enjoyed and would recommend along with her other books.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steady and gentle story with beautiful illustrations.

[Kaylee Bostick]

A child questions her mother about going to the beach. Her mother tells her that they cannot go because the tide is too high. The story goes on to talk about what happens when the tide is high on the beach. I have mixed feelings about whether I would use this in my classroom. Some of my students may not be able to relate to this story because they may not have ever been to the beach. This could, however, provide students with an experience.

[Kandice Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mom answers questions about the low tide that the little boy asks. This is a good book to read to teach about the tide and oceans to the students. This is a great book that students will enjoy because the illustrations are beautiful.