Review by Booklist Review
On the first day of summer, the children who live in a charming seaside-resort town find enjoyable adventures close to home. This breezy and sweet beginning-chapter-book series opener is organized into four acts, introducing the appealing people and places of Seashell Key. Mateo, motivated by his father's Sky and Sea Shop, launches a high-flying animal kite business and gets a rave review from his first kid customer. Heading to the beach for a picnic, sisters Sasha and Sophia grab some food from their mother's restaurant but end up making their own special "SANDwich." Eli, Ezra, and Elana invite tourists into their lighthouse for a tall tale--embellished guided tour. All the characters join together in the concluding act for more fun in the sun. The short, zippy sentences are full of action, pleasing repetition, and personality: "Sophia laughs. Pixie barks. Xena chirps. The sun sets. A salty breeze blows. Whirr, whirr! Look up!" Sunny and warm atmospheric cartoon illustrations capture the slice-of-life summer scenes. Emergent readers will eagerly return to Seashell Key.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The kids who live at a beachy vacation town make their own fun. Summer has begun at Seashell Key, and the local children are ready. Heuer divides the book into four stories, each an "act" made up of a few short chapters. First up is Mateo, who's inspired by his father's Sky and Sea Shop to start his own business making animal kites. In Act II, sisters Sophia and Sasha have a beach picnic. The girls' wildly different personalities come through: Sasha's an organized, grounded, and studious artist, while the free-spirited Sophia is imaginative and mischievous. The third and funniest story involves the trio of siblings who live in the lighthouse and decide to lure in tourists for a delightfully spurious tour of their home. The final act brings all the kids together. Sasha draws them all, and they enjoy Mateo's kites before having a fruity dessert. The island setting almost feels like a character itself, and the mild conflicts make the book ideal for sensitive beginning readers. Short sentences and paragraphs are broken up by engaging illustrations, resulting in an unintimidating chapter book for reluctant or struggling readers. In the illustrations, Mateo is dark-skinned, Sasha and Sophia present Black, and the lighthouse trio present white. Final art not seen. Appealingly light and gentle, with a sprinkle of good-natured mischief. (Chapter book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
