Bea by the Sea

by Jo Byatt, Jo Byatt (Illustrator)

Overview

Bea loves lions and knows everything there is to know about them. She lives by the beach, but she doesn’t like sand one little bit! One day, her mother persuades her to visit the beach, where she meets a sand sculpture of a lion who is afraid of water. Their developing friendship helps each of them to overcome their anxieties, but the next day the lion has disappeared! How will Bea cope? A funny and tender book about the mutual support of friendship, the acceptance of loss, and the resilience needed to accept change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786284693
Publisher:	Child's Play-International
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Series:	Child's Play Library
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.88(w) x 9.88(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jo was born in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. Even though she lived by the sea, she wasn’t a huge fan of sand. She still lives nearby with her husband, two daughters, and Ziggy Stardust the pug. A children’s illustrator all of her professional life, Jo is self-taught and works digitally. She has been a member of SCBWI since 2014. Although Jo has illustrated over forty children’s books to date, she is very proud of the fact that Bea by the Sea is her first authored book.

Jo was born in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. Even though she lived by the sea, she wasn’t a huge fan of sand. She still lives nearby with her husband, two daughters, and Ziggy Stardust the pug. A children’s illustrator all of her professional life, Jo is self-taught and works digitally. She has been a member of SCBWI since 2014. Although Jo has illustrated over forty children’s books to date, she is very proud of the fact that Bea by the Sea is her first authored book.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/01/2021

PreS-K—A delightful story about how a young Black girl who loves lions overcomes her worries about the beach with help from her imaginary playmate, the Sand Lion. Crayon-like textures and solid, animated forms with clear facial expressions capture a readable, gradual change in Bea's growing appreciation for something new.

School Library Journal

2021-02-09
Lion-loving Bea learns to appreciate spending time on the beach.

Bea, a small Black girl wearing her hair in a crown of small puffs, adores lions and thinks about them all day long. When her mother (who is also Black) decides they will spend a lovely day at the beach, Bea would rather stay home and play lions. She does not like sand, so she puts on her boots and hops from rock to rock to avoid it. But when she trips and falls in the sand, sending her lion book and lion toy flying, a large lion sand sculpture shows her how much fun it is to play in the sand. Bea and Sand Lion play together all day, and the next day Bea is ready to come back for more playtime. The tide has changed the beach scene, but Bea now knows what to do. Bea is a fun-loving, likable protagonist whose fears and dislikes are a part of her charm. Watching her obsession guide her into testing new territory is thoroughly satisfying, as is her change by the end of the story. Byatt’s expressive, motion-based illustrations, dominated by yellow and blue, make this a great read for the youngest of children. Readers will appreciate how Sand Lion’s mane resembles Bea’s hairstyle. The fact-filled endpapers are a clever way to offer detailed information about lions and about sand—an unusual but interesting combination.

Delightful. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews