Found

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Usher sends his familiar main characters, a boy and his grandfather, on a rescue mission that turns into a rewarding adventure. One morning, the boy awakens and immediately remembers that he and his grandfather are going to the beach. Perhaps they'll find a tide pool, build a sandcastle, and go swimming. When they arrive at the beach, they build the largest, most perfect sandcastle imaginable. After eating ice cream, they find a baby seal trapped in a net at the shoreline. They remove the net, borrow a boat, and return him to his family. While swimming, they discover a treasure trove and then return the sailboat. Back at home, they recall their amazing day. Created with a childlike vision and written in simple words, the narrative delivers the sort of perfect day that an adventurous kid might envision. Usher's ink drawings, brightened with watercolors, are equally adept at delineating the elaborate architecture of the sandcastle and conveying the characters' emotions. An imaginative book that features a memorable day at the beach.

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. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.