BEACH IS TO FUN

A summery tale brightly colored as a beach ball—if a little heavy on the teaching thing. Brisson has made a rhymed text entirely of analogies: this is to that as this is to that, and that’s the problem. Because it’s a rhyme and focused on a day at the beach, one might find oneself questioning the validity of some of the analogies. For example, “Sun is to yellow / as cloud is to white” may have every kid who has ever seen a pink or grey cloud (or a red or orange sun) doubting the connection. And, “Toss is to catch / as fast is to slow” actually doesn’t cut it. Having said that, it bounces along, most of the analogies work, and the acrylic and pastel pictures, with their round-headed, button-eyed figures, tropical fruit colors, and scenes of going to the playground, beach, pool, and boat are lively. (Picture book. 5-7)