Magic Beach

There is good reason to rejoice in the States, for it has not been possible to purchase new copies of this incredibly imaginative and lyrical picture book for years. One of my Top 20 during my years of running the childcare center, MAGIC BEACH exudes salt, sand, seaweed, and shells, as it bounces back and forth between the real and imagined adventures of a buoyant cast of young characters. Australia's Alison Lester has done some great illustrating over the past 25 years. This is the best of the best.

This book is a great way to introduce a child to the idea that 'pretend'can be part of a story, at least as much as real events can. Every second opening allows the reader to become part of the fantasy land inhabited by the children in the story. The illustrations are beautifully done and the rhythm of the rhyming text engages younger children as well as older. Both of my children (ages three and six) find aspects of this book entertaining and interesting. Very highly recommended for pre-schoolers to infants school age children!

.A rhyming story line in a child's picture book seldom works well. They often seem so contrived and sometimes downright corny.Not so in Alison Lester's >. This book deserves the status of a classic in contemporary children's literature. In fact, the book is regularly listed in the Best Seller lists in Australia, where the author resides. ... <p>All children love the freedom and fun of a trip to the beach. Alison transports us to one of the childhood's favourite playground, that place where the land meets the sea. The real joys of beachside fun are joined with pleasurable and harmless seaside fantasies.<p>On alternate pages, we are taken from beautiful realities to even more captivating fantasies. We go from a scene with a sparkling sea to an exciting world where we can ride waves pretending they are "wild white horses". We go from sandcastle building to a land of fire breathing dragons. We explore rock-pools and their magic world of starfish and crabs, and then go to an evenmore magic Kingdom where we can ride seahorses.<p>The beach is still magic when it's a cloudy and gray day, our imaginations will help us discovered a treasure chest. We can go boating in the safety of bay, and then let the wind and our fantasies take us to the "edge of the world".<p>We fish and laze on the jetty, and in our daydreams, we catch a monstrous shark.<p>It is now evening-time, we are toasting marshmallows around the glowing fire, and in the shadows, there may be smugglers hauling in crate-loads of booty.<p>It's time for bed, and to the sounds of the ocean, we drift off to sleep on the evening tide. <p>This is a fabulous book which has universal and popular appeal. Let's see if we can get it back on the publisher's lists in the US. It deserves the widest audience possible.

This book is a favourite of both me and my two year old son. The beautiful, detailed pictures capture the essence of summer and the magic of being a child, when any activity can be transformed by imagination into something more. Many aspects of beach life are shown, from playing in the surf, to wading in rockpools, to a moonlight bonfire. The verse flows well and complements the pictures, although I would agree with the previous reviewer that the illustrations are the highlight. I love all of Alison Lester's books, but I would rate this one as the best.

Not O/P in Australia - available in many book shops.This is a lovely book. It depicts various activities throughout the day at the beach, from building sand castles falling asleep at night within sound of the ocean. Each double page describes a time and activity (the verse is a little bit inferior to the pics). The subsequent double page has an imagined fantasy activity.I give this 5 stars for the illustrations, 4 for the text.