BEA BY THE SEA

Lion-loving Bea learns to appreciate spending time on the beach.

Bea, a small Black girl wearing her hair in a crown of small puffs, adores lions and thinks about them all day long. When her mother (who is also Black) decides they will spend a lovely day at the beach, Bea would rather stay home and play lions. She does not like sand, so she puts on her boots and hops from rock to rock to avoid it. But when she trips and falls in the sand, sending her lion book and lion toy flying, a large lion sand sculpture shows her how much fun it is to play in the sand. Bea and Sand Lion play together all day, and the next day Bea is ready to come back for more playtime. The tide has changed the beach scene, but Bea now knows what to do. Bea is a fun-loving, likable protagonist whose fears and dislikes are a part of her charm. Watching her obsession guide her into testing new territory is thoroughly satisfying, as is her change by the end of the story. Byatt’s expressive, motion-based illustrations, dominated by yellow and blue, make this a great read for the youngest of children. Readers will appreciate how Sand Lion’s mane resembles Bea’s hairstyle. The fact-filled endpapers are a clever way to offer detailed information about lions and about sand—an unusual but interesting combination.

Delightful.