On Gull Beach

In Yolen and Marstall's third title in the On Bird Hill and Beyond series, a dark-haired child spots a red starfish in the sand at Gull Beach, just before a seagull snatches it. "I followed quickly on the strand,/ My feet left footprints in the sand./ The gull was faster, wing by wing,/ And in his mouth, his star plaything." In a striking spread, the boy gazes, astonished, into the pale blue sky after the gull drops the starfish. A midair tussle ensues as the sea star is passed between bird beaks. When the sea star drops again, the boy catches it and helps to "put her back into the water,/ Far out of their reach." It's an exciting, slightly discomforting moment, which gently explores a human's place within the chain of being. Backmatter presents common species to be found along New England shores. Ages 4-7. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Interrupting his walk on a sandy beach, a child runs after gulls playing catch with a starfish, intercepts their victim, and places it gently back into the water.In previous titles in this series, young people have encountered birds first On Bird Hill (2016) and then On Duck Pond (2017). Here, readers visit a New England beach where a shorts-and-T-shirt-clad child with dark hair and sand-colored skin has been collecting "sticks and stones, / shells and bleached small ends of bones." The story is told in deftly constructed rhyming couplets whose pace seems to quicken with the chase, becoming transformed at the end. Veteran nature illustrator Marstall sets the story in Cape Cod (according to the cover copy), with accurate birds and believable scenery gently portrayed in watercolor. No reader will have difficulty recognizing herring gulls in real life; he shows them from every angle. The backmatter provides further description of other beach inhabitants seen in the illustrations: sanderlings and willets; sea stars; horseshoe crabs; hermit, Jonah, and fiddler crabs. There are also a few suggestions for protecting beaches by reducing the use of plastic, saving energy, and not letting dogs run after birds who might be nesting there.An excellent addition to the nature shelf. (Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

"As I was walking on Gull Beach,I saw a starfish within reach.Set down my pail of sticks and stones,Of shells and bleached small ends of bones.But as I bent by wave and spray,A gull flew down, snatched star away..."The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a leading voicein the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds.As with all Cornell Lab Publishing Group books,35 percent of the net proceeds from the sale ofOn Gull Beach will directly support the CornellLab's projects such as children's educationaland community programs. Excerpted from On Gull Beach by Jane Yolen All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.