FOUND

The grandfather and grandchild introduced in Usher’s Free (2021) enjoy a summer day at the beach.

When we last saw this duo, in Lost (2022), the two went sledding on a winter’s day. Now the weather is warmer, and it’s time to head to the seaside. Narrated by the child, the tale brims with excitement, reinforced by beach-related toys, gear, books, and drawings scattered across the title page and first spread. While the story generally hews to the realistic, things eventually turn a bit fantastic, due in large part to the fanciful ink-and-watercolor illustrations. When the grandfather and grandchild build sand castles, a page turn reveals an elaborate grouping of structures in various architectural styles, some towering over Granddad. Later, this imaginative impulse is echoed when they rescue a seal pup caught in some netting and take a perilous sea journey to return it to its family. “And at last we went for our swim,” reads a subsequent understated line accompanying a full-bleed scene of Granddad and his grandchild placidly swimming deep underwater, the former still bespectacled and both fully clothed, though shod in socks and flip-flops, respectively. Gently humorous and wonderfully warm, this tale revels in its depiction of a fun and affectionate intergenerational bond. Granddad and the child present white.

A great storytime find.