Beach Baby. Laurie Elmquist. Illustrated by Elly MacKay. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2016. 24 pp., board book, pdf & epub, $9.95 (bb). ISBN 978-1-4598-0954-3 (bb), ISBN 978-1-4598-0955-0 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-0956-7 (epub). Preschool / Ages 1-4. Review by Tanya Boudreau. *** /4 Reviewed from F&Gs.

excerpt:

Everything will be here when you wake

Purple Starfish

The goose waddling up from the bay

Sand dollars

A seal peering out of the waves

The baby in Elmquist’s first book is being lulled to sleep by the ocean. His eyes are closed as he’s being carried inside his home, but he can hear his caregiver remind him of all the beautiful and fun things that will be waiting for him along the shore in the morning. His sandcastle will still be standing. The moon snails and pelicans will be back to admire, and the sounds of the ocean will continue. MacKay’s cut paper illustrations are dreamlike. Close-ups allow details to emerge that we would not normally see, and the two views of the house on the hilltop are shrouded with a multi-coloured haze. I would purchase this board book because it captures the beauty of the ocean, and it would evoke pleasant memories when falling asleep.

Recommended.

Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.

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