Author & Illustrator: Tom Booth | Themes: beach, sandcastles, teamwork, siblings, summer

Building a sandcastle together is an annual beach tradition for two siblings in Tom Booth’s Day At The Beach. Big brother, Gideon, is in charge of the structure and design and little sister, Audrey, takes care of the decorations, but this year Gideon has decided to go it alone. He wants to be king of the castle.

“But this summer Gideon had a different plan. He was going to build the most stupendous sand castle the beach had ever seen. Alone.”

Day at the Beach by Tom Booth

So off he sets to find the perfect place to start constructing the sand castle of his dreams. Between the waves and beach volleyball players, Gideon needs to restart a couple of times before he finds an undisturbed location. Then, following his detailed blueprints, Gideon ensures each angle and measurement is precise as his massive castle comes together.

When it’s complete and he’s basking in the shadow of his beautiful beach build, he looks over to see his sister, Audrey, building a very imperfect castle with his parents – and she’s having a blast!

“Audrey’s castle didn’t have straight towers, level walls, or smooth sides. But it did look fun.”

Day at the Beach by Tom Booth

Suddenly, Gideon feels lonely and asks to join his family. In the end, Gideon realizes that teamwork is the most important, and the most fun, part of building a sandcastle on the beach.

This was a heartwarming read that my toddler really enjoyed. Especially since we have been to the beach a few times this summer so far. He liked seeing all the different ways Gideon’s castle would get ruined. I think his favourite was when the dog came bounding through and knocked it all over. Although, my toddler is almost always guilty of wrecking our beach sand castles himself – no assistance required!

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, summer read with a beach theme. Be sure to add Tom Booth’s Day At The Beach to your bookshelf!

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