A fun story about a little boy who draws a lion in the sand on the beach. He is drawing the tail when his father reminds him "not to leave the lion" Of course, we adults can assume this means the little boy is supposed to stay put--but in the child's mind, the excitement and allure of the beach, of discovery, and of getting lost in his imagination translates the father's message into something else entirely. He DOES stay with the lion's tail--but what a long tail it becomes! ;-) Super cute and made me want to go to the beach. I also appreciate that the story features a father/son duo. When Gregory drew a Sandy Lion in the sand on the beach, his father suggested that Sandy needs a tail. He also told Gregory not to go in the water and not to leave Sandy. Gregory drew a tail with his drawing stick. When he came to a jellyfish on shore, he draw a loop around it. He went up and over an old sandcastle. He zigzagged around a horseshoe crab. He swirled around the hole of a ghost crab. He wrote his name. Then he turned around and realized how far he was from his father! How could be find him on the huge beach? Gregory followed Sandy’s tail back to the beginning all on his own.This is a story of a beautiful day at the beach combined with a boy’s imagination. The words use some repetition of the father’s instructions not to go into the water or leave Sandy. I also appreciate a book where a child moves some distance away from a parent with no fear and uses his own ingenuity to return safely. It is the pastel illustrations by Cooper that really bring this book to life and raise it to another level. The entire book is done with the detail you see on the cover image above. Gregory’s face reflects his moods, his intentness, his creativity so clearly. The use of a fairly limited tan and brown palette really works here, uniting the boy and the beach without losing either one of them. The soft grainy illustrations capture the gritty feel of a sandy beach.You will almost be able to smell the salt air with these illustrations. A vacation in a book, it is appropriate for ages 3-6.
What do You think about Beach Tail (2000)?
This book features a black boy and his black father. Onomatopoeia is used throughout.
—chocbunny123
Gregory discovers the animals on the beach while drawing in the sand.
—Ash
Text is a little uninspiring, but the illustrations are beautiful.
—dav
Appealing father-son story set on the beach.
—dreadstar63
