Seaside Stroll

by Charles Trevino, Maribel Lechuga (Illustrator)

Go on a snowy, sandy shore walk in a story where every single word starts with the letter S!

Explore the beach in winter in this story told through clever language. During a sunset beach saunter , a girl stumbles and drops her doll into a tidal pool. Soaked! Celebrating the natural silence of an off-season location, the surf and sand are brought to life through this engaging story .

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Poetry, Fiction, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 19, 2021

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Seaside Stroll is a beautifully illustrated children's book using words starting with the letter 'S' throughout.
The book isn't written in sentences but in single words e.g splash, splat, seagulls, sand etc.
The artwork in the book amazingly captures the essence of a winter day at the beach and has made me want to wrap up my little one and go for a stroll on our beach now its winter too. This book reminds me so much of my youngest child and is very nostalgic.
The vocabulary in this book is fantastic to help increase word knowledge and use of vocabulary in young children.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the perfect story picture book of the season!

The artstyle is damn amazing! You will just fall in love with the little girl and her mom.

And yes, you will actually feel the chill.of the snow and the water when she got wet while playing outside!

Yes, the artstyle is that good! Love the realistic day out story.

Thank you, author and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to increase vocabulary in young children! Love all the alliterations. Story really demands that someone take a child(ren) on a field trip to a beach during the winter, or even a walk along a creek, river or woods off season. Never know what they'll find, see, smell! It'a truly a full sensory experience. Take a bag or camera along to collect what they find or take a photo. Compare/contrast that same area in the summer. The illustrations are lovely! Wonderful, creative book. Kudos Charles Trevino! Write some more like this! Pure poetical magic. Lovely story. make a good stocking stuffer, then a nice walk!
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book that perfectly captures a day a chilly, wintery day at the beach. Gorgeous illustrations and a sweet story.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going for a stroll at the beach!! This book uses S words throughout it to show adjectives and nouns. The best part of the book was the illustration. You feel like you are walking on the sand, playing, and that the seagulls are real! I would recommend this book for a kindergarten classroom while learning the letter S, or another classroom when talking about what happens when you go to the beach!!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book about a seashore in wintertime that relies exclusively on words that start with "S." I thought the pictures were atmospheric and unique--I can't remember ever seeing another picture book about the beach that doesn't take place during the summer!

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cold, windy winter day when a young girl, her doll, and her mother bundle up and head out to the beach. There's still snow on the sand to play in, seagulls flying overhead to chase, all kinds of gifts from the sea - seaweed, shells, and stones, even crabs scurrying as seagulls circle - to explore. But tripping on the edge of a tide pool just as a wave hits causes the doll to drop from the little girls hands. Oh dear! Our heroine reaches in to save her doll, and the two of them are wet, cold, with sopping shoes, socks and scarf. Time to go home and have a warm shower, then put on some cozy clothes, have a nice supper and a story about a brave crab until bedtime. The beach in winter sometimes feels like a magical place with all the other people gone and Charles Trevino has really captured that magic. What really makes this a standout picture book, however, is the lyrical language coupled with the textured digital and watercolor illustrations. The blue of the ocean with its white caps reminded me so much of the Atlantic Ocean in winter. One of the things that makes the language so expressive is that every word used begins with the letter S - nouns, adjectives, verbs and interjections are all carefully chosen sensory words that brilliantly tell this story: "Scruffy shoes, socks, sweater...scratchy silly scarf." In the back matter, Trevino explains the four parts of speech used, and points out special lines that match other lines. There is also suggestions for what you might find if you decide to explore the beach. I haven't read this to my young readers yet, but I have told them about it and they really looking forward to our next story time (and so am I).

Copy provided by Edelweiss+

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told with only words that begin with “s” this picture book is superbly surprising. A little girl and her mother bundle up for a winter visit to the seaside. The little girl brings along her doll, and they explore the snowy sand together. She finds a stick, swings it at the seagulls. There are shells, stones, seaweed and more to discover on the sand. She is surprised when a surge of water takes her doll away and into a tidepool. The doll is soaked and after the doll is saved, the little girl is sopping wet too. Cold and shivering, they leave the beach and head home for a hot shower and a cozy story before bed.

Trevino creates an entire story here, not just a series of words that begin with the same letter. Based on poetry designed in American Sign Language, his book is thoughtful and fascinating. Using clever and smart punctuation, he creates a world of snow and sand for readers to explore alongside his young character. Amazingly, the book reads aloud brilliantly and aloud shows the dynamic nature of language and letters.

The artwork tells much of the story, since the text is so focused and brief. The joy of exploring the cold seaside, the pleasure of discovery and the return home to cozy warmth, all are depicted with bright colors, sunshine and then warm firelight.

Something special. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

These illustrations are just perfect.

[Martha Trzepacz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! This winter seaside theme has a secret linguistic twist sure to appeal to readers, the accompanying illustrations adding to the books's charm. The perfect read aloud for an elementary school language lesson. For an additional activity, "How many other "S" words can you find on each page? and what kind of words are they? i.e.(Page 1 ) sidewalk-(noun), shadow, spiked fence, the girl is swinging the doll.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressive to only use S words and tell a full story!

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hit for my four year old granddaughter. The illustrations are especially nice.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the illustrations and the poetry. Every word starts with "S" and yet it still tells a story. Very nice.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun storytime book about a trip to the beach in wintertime. We had a good time thinking of other words that start with S (all the words in this book do), and one child was very invested in the saga of what happened to the little girl's doll.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perhaps a superlative smash, or a sterling sell-out success, but a success all said and done. You'll see why I chose those particular words when you realise this is a story told in slightly disjointed, poetic semi-sentences, and with every single word beginning with an 's', of a girl and her mother at the seaside for a gusty wintry walk. They explore, finding the expected and unexpected, and one of the party gets an early bath. Visuals you just have to rate (the second book in a row I've admired this artist's work) strengthen the impact, and this comes across as a well-thought-through piece.

[Maureen Caupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book about a young girls adventures visiting the beach on chilly day. Brings back my own memories of exploring tide pools and the shore to see what I could see.

[RG]

Exploring the ocean during the winter, perfect for babies and young children. Easy story written like poems. Cozy!! Good for summer reading.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book. The explanation at the end that showcases what the author did with the words of this poetic book adds to the simplicity of the words on the pages.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaside Stroll, written by Charles Trevino and illustrated by Maribel Lechuga, is a picturebook. Explore the beach in winter in this story told through clever language. During a sunset beach saunter, a girl stumbles and drops her doll into a tidal pool. Soaked! Celebrating the natural silence of an off-season location, the surf and sand are brought to life through this story. Backmatter includes an author’s note about the word choices in the book and parts of speech used, as well as a note about exploring a beach in winter: what animals you might see, sculpting with snow and sand side by side, the colors of a winter sky and sea, and more.

Seaside Stroll is a deceptively simple story about exploring the beach in the winter, that also explores language, poetry, and meter. It is an enjoyable read, and could easily be used to start a discussion about language, science, nature, and simply taking the time to notice the world and textures around you. As multilayered as the text is, the artwork in similarly more complex than you get at first glance. The color, detail, and composition compliment the text and tenor of the story perfectly. The innocence of the young girl- exploring and getting more than a little cold and damp under her mother's watchful eye- matched with the life and landscape of the beach was well done. I think this book can both be a simple read to enjoy together and a teaching tool. The very best books can do both, intentional or not, and I think the intent and execution is very well done here.

[Roxana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaside Stroll is a really lovely picture book, but the artwork is the star for me. Despite the author's note at the end explaining every detail of the word choices (which feels somehow trying too hard to explain itself), the text didn't totally work for me - it's meant to be alliterative, sensory and evocative, but the interchangeable use of a soft S and SH underminded the alliterative effect, and some of the words didn't totally make sense to me, like the inclusion of "shoulder" in one line. With such sparse, poetic text, it should really speak for itself, and not require this kind of explanatory note.

That being said, it would still be fun to read aloud with a very young child, and the illustrations are definitely worth it - expressive figures, beautiful sea-washed color palette, and richly textured images of the shore, sea, and sky are sure to make this a family favorite for many.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the advance review copy!

[Adam Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I read this book for the first time, I kept thinking about several of Maribel Lechuga's illustrations, much like I would think about an interesting camera shot from a movie. The image of the little girl staring up from the bottom of a tide pool stood out to me as an interesting angle to come from. The dialogue reads almost like a freeform word association of S-words. Regardless of the fact that there are no complete sentences, the message comes across clearly to the reader.
One thing that I love is when the author pulls back the curtain and lets the reader in on the creation process. In the Author's Note at the end of the book, Charles Trevino has a teaching moment and explains what nouns, verbs, adjectives, and interjections are. He also explains that the structure of the book is broken into two sets of eight lines that partner with the other half of the book. This led to me to immediately go back and re-read the book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of this book by @netgalley and @charlesbridgepublishing in exchange for my honest review.
I was enticed by this cute sounding story as my parents live on an island and we have many seaside strolls when we visit! My six year old daughter read this cute story to me tonight before bed! Her favorite parts were the illustrations and the animals (we even went back through after we were finished reading to make sure we saw all the animals on each page)! She said that she thought the story needed real sentences, but it brought about a discussion on artistic license! 😁 We related to the story about a nice stroll ending in a sopping wet girl and a hot bath (it happened a few weeks ago after Thanksgiving)! Definitely would recommend!! 🐚
#NetGalley #CharlesBridgePublishing #SeasideStroll

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Scruffy shoes, socks, sweater....scratchy, silly scarf.

Premise/plot: Thus begins one wintry seaside stroll shared by a little girl and her mama. (Though perhaps I shouldn't forget the DOLLY that comes too!) Seaside Stroll is a narrative poem written entirely with words that begin with the letter S.

My thoughts: I love the descriptive language in Seaside Stroll. I imagine (though I haven't tried it myself) that it would be a joy to read aloud!!! All the alliteration of the S's! Alliteration, to remind everyone, is "the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. But in addition to being a teacher's dream come true (when it comes to poetry units) it is also a joyful celebration of family life (not just the extraordinary moments but the ordinary ones too).

I loved the writing and the illustrations.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book. This book was an impressive feat of writing--no complete sentences, just strings of words all starting with the letter "s." A young girl, her mother, and her doll head out for a wintry stroll on the beach. As the illustration shows a flock of seagulls taking flight, the text reads "Spectacular. Sparkling. Smile Super!" As a surprise wave takes her doll from her hands, the girl gets a bit wetter than planned from the rescue, resulting in a shower and snuggly story upon arriving home. The illustrations are great, especially the emotions of the girl. A mellow, cozy read that counters the expectation of a sun-filled summer day at the beach. This would be fun to use for a writing exercise with each writer choosing a letter for their words and seeing if they could tell a story in this manner.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for our part of MI--living as we do on the shore of Lake Michigan where lake effect snow often covers the sand. This gorgeous picture book features the beach in wintertime, showing it's beauty and details, while also communicating the cold and damp.
The text about a mother and daughter taking a winter beach walk is told entirely with S words. The words do not exactly form sentences but rather convey the story in somewhat poetic single words and short phrases.
Tie-in with S week,
alliteration,
examples of descriptive language and strong verbs,
winter nature field trips.
Possible writing prompt: describe a small moment with words that all begin with the same letter.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever visited the beach in the winter? It's very different from spending a summer day there! The author of this book decided to write about a beach adventure using only words that begin with the letter "s". And it's quite the adventure! Seagulls, sand, snow, and a favorite doll submerged in a tide pool - an adventure spelled out in just a few words all beginning with the letter "s".
The author provides a note at the end of the book talking about his process and the way the book is structured. This would make a great project for anyone interested in writing. Work out a story where all the words begin with just one letter. Or maybe two, if one is too challenging.
A truly amazing and fun book that I probably would have overlooked if it had not been on the TLA 2x2 list.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sort of poem picture book where every word begins with S. Not only is there alliteration, but in the back of the book, the author teaches us a bit about parts of speech/writing poetry/the method by which he wrote the book. There is also a little blurb about what you can see at the beach in the winter, so there are multiple ways to read (or re-read!) this book. I really liked the setting and the simple story of the main character going to the beach with her mom for a walk, dropping her doll in a tide pool, followed by a rescue and a soggy trip home.

Thanks to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun concept and great writing prompt to take into the classroom. The author describes a wintertime seaside stroll by mother, child, and doll using only words that begin with the letter "S". The words aren't in sentence form, but are used in series to describe the action. They do capture the joy of a play filled day at the beach. Meaning for the story depends heavily on the vivid illustrations to bring the ideas to fruition. The story is in three parts: getting to the beach, at the beach, and recovering from the beach. The word patterns for the first and third parts are same, but the words in the last part reflect a chilly, wet day at the beach.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Charlesbridge through SLJ Day of Dialogue.
Told as a poem using all "s" words. Trevino uses an interesting structure to share the story of a mother and daughter walking to the seashore. It's a cold day and as readers might guess, the daughter ends up soaked. The poems words change to reflect the changing emotions and conditions as the day progresses. Lovely and tender ending. The illustrations support the text and give readers a glimpse of the scene beyond the words.
After the story, Trevino explains the poem's structure and choices made to create it.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohmygoodness! I'm in love with this adorable picture book! The illustrations are simply THE CUTEST! The winter beach scenery is just amazing to soak in. And the text is completely alliterative; every single word starts with the letter S. It makes my heart wax poetic. The story infuses words from all 5 of our senses, and it's a great book choice when teaching your child about the wonders of human senses. There's so much to explore in the world this way!

Well done, well done!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.