Sandcastle

A girl loves building sandcastles on the beach, especially when they're actual castles with domes and turrets and chandeliers and ornately scalloped ceilings. In fact, her sandcastle is so elaborate that kings and queens come from all over the world to marvel at its majesty. It has an ice rink, carousel, climbing wall, greenhouse, in-home theater, and so much more. At night, there's a grand party in the ballroom, but by breakfast, the royal guests are beginning to complain of the sand in their food, their clothes, their baths, and their beds. So the master builder starts a sandball fight, and suddenly the sea comes in and washes everyone away. Everything about this book is a joy, from the gorgeous endpapers to the wordless spreads that have an almost Wes Anderson--level of meticulous attention to detail and a Where's Waldo? number of tiny vignettes to seek and find. The artwork is delightfully whimsical, with medieval knights playing Twister and mummies and pirates and bikini-clad elephants sunbathing among typical beachgoers. It's lusciously diverse and multicultural in its representation of royalty from across the world (and across time barriers). Best of all, the hidden peekaboos--a unicorn here, a mermaid there, bird-people on the side--make the pages worth revisiting over and over. Every page is an utter pleasure.

PreS-Gr 2--A girl visits the beach and shares her love of building sandcastles with a multitude of characters who come to enjoy the wonder of the expansive castle she makes. Soon, the guests become upset when everything starts to turn to sand. The little girl explains that sand is what the castle is made of, then a sand-ball fight ensues. And, just like that, everything is washed away in the tide. Tsarfati's story is entertaining and shares one little girl's love of sandcastles in a unique way. In a time when technology is all around us, this story reminds us that simple things, like sandcastles, can help our imaginations run rampant. Tsarfati's illustrations are engrossing and detailed, and they could easily be used in a wordless picture book. The detail and vibrancy makes it hard to turn the pages, for there are suprises everywhere. VERDICT Worth considering for purchase. Glimpses of familiar characters, from other books or movies are a special treat.--Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

Imagine a sandcastle big enough to hold an ice-skating rink, a greenhouse, a dinosaur skeleton, and galas for kings and queens.A small child at the edge of the ocean begins a project. "I love building castles in the sand. So I built a sandcastle," explains the narrator. The visual story frame of an outing to a jam-packed beach doesn't quite offer a nonfantasy opening: Careful perusal reveals a bed, an elephant, a mummy, and an igloo among the multitudinous, tiny-figured human beachgoers. Soon the quiet child's golden sandcastle rises up off the top of the page. Fine, light brown lines detail the castle's architectural features; the child balances delicately atop a turret as the castle reaches eight times the protagonist's height, then stands inside the castle, gazing out windows that vividly show the real ocean outside. Kings and queens arrive to feast and dance. Everything's glamorous and copacetic until, suddenly, the sand itself is a problem. It's in the royal almond strudel. It's in the armor of sobbing knights. It's in a king's fig-milk bath. Everyone's angry. So the calm builder takes rambunctious action, bringing sand, water, and mood dramatically full circle. Tsarfati's huge cast is happily multiracial and multinational (the protagonist is paper-white), but some of the diverse portrayals unfortunately rely on cultural stereotypes.Delightfully fanciful, with copious funny details to pore over. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* A girl loves building sandcastles on the beach, especially when they're actual castles with domes and turrets and chandeliers and ornately scalloped ceilings. In fact, her sandcastle is so elaborate that kings and queens come from all over the world to marvel at its majesty. It has an ice rink, carousel, climbing wall, greenhouse, in-home theater, and so much more. At night, there's a grand party in the ballroom, but by breakfast, the royal guests are beginning to complain of the sand in their food, their clothes, their baths, and their beds. So the master builder starts a sandball fight, and suddenly the sea comes in and washes everyone away. Everything about this book is a joy, from the gorgeous endpapers to the wordless spreads that have an almost Wes Anderson–level of meticulous attention to detail and a Where's Waldo? number of tiny vignettes to seek and find. The artwork is delightfully whimsical, with medieval knights playing Twister and mummies and pirates and bikini-clad elephants sunbathing among typical beachgoers. It's lusciously diverse and multicultural in its representation of royalty from across the world (and across time barriers). Best of all, the hidden peekaboos—a unicorn here, a mermaid there, bird-people on the side—make the pages worth revisiting over and over. Every page is an utter pleasure. Preschool-Grade 2. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

PreS-Gr 2—A girl visits the beach and shares her love of building sandcastles with a multitude of characters who come to enjoy the wonder of the expansive castle she makes. Soon, the guests become upset when everything starts to turn to sand. The little girl explains that sand is what the castle is made of, then a sand-ball fight ensues. And, just like that, everything is washed away in the tide. Tsarfati's story is entertaining and shares one little girl's love of sandcastles in a unique way. In a time when technology is all around us, this story reminds us that simple things, like sandcastles, can help our imaginations run rampant. Tsarfati's illustrations are engrossing and detailed, and they could easily be used in a wordless picture book. The detail and vibrancy makes it hard to turn the pages, for there are suprises everywhere. VERDICT Worth considering for purchase. Glimpses of familiar characters, from other books or movies are a special treat.—Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC