Beach Toys vs. School Supplies

by Mike Ciccotello

Overview

A fun-filled tale of summertime, teamwork, and the balance between having fun and buckling down, from Twins creator Mike Ciccotello!

Summer is winding down and school is just around the corner when two old rivals meet at the beach. Shovel thinks Ruler is a number-obsessed know-it-all. Ruler thinks Shovel is all play and no work. So when their two gangs challenge one another to a beachfront competition, the contest between beach toys and school supplies gets heated. Who will win? Who will have more fun? And will they be able to step up to help each other when unexpected disaster sweeps in?

This fresh take on the end-of-summer blues is bright, dynamic, and laugh-out-loud funny!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374390037
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	43 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Mike Ciccotello is the author-illustrator of children's books including Twins and Beach Toys vs. School Supplies. He lives with his family in New Jersey.
Mike Ciccotello is the author-illustrator of Twins. He lives with his family in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

06/28/2021

The age-old transition from summer into the school year takes an anthropomorphized turn in Ciccotello’s heavily punny tribute to collaboration and work-life balance. When Ruler’s shadow interrupts Shovel’s sunbathing at the beach, the Big Showdown between rivals—representing learning and fun—is on. Wordplay-centered trash talk takes center stage in the lengthy text as the two teams face off, with decidedly different approaches, in a sandcastle-building contest: “ ‘We’re totally going to deflate them,’ said Beach Ball. ‘Don’t hold your breath,’ said Swim Mask. ‘Maybe they have some skills.’ ” Bright art in pencil and crayon textures details the competition as the two witty crews join forces for what becomes a (slightly begrudging) celebration of individual style, and a fun enterprise all around. Ages 3–6. (June)

Publishers Weekly

2023 Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award Winner

“Everyone wins in Ciccotello’s tale, in which an impending crisis inspires cooperation and leads to friendship. Kids who enjoy wordplay will relish the many puns and wisecracks within the text . . . Capturing the conflict’s drama as well as its happy resolution, the colorful illustrations create a breezy day-at-the-beach vibe. Fun for reading aloud.” —Booklist

“Bright art in pencil and crayon textures details the competition as the two witty crews join forces for what becomes a (slightly begrudging) celebration of individual style, and a fun enterprise all around.” —Publishers Weekly

“Loads of fun . . . a great selection for back-to-school displays.” —School Library Journal

“The silly seaside story, with its jaunty cartoon art, will help readers recall the joys of summer well into the fall.” —Horn Book

From the Publisher

08/01/2021

K-Gr 2—When Shovel and Ruler challenge each other to a sandcastle-building contest, it's a showdown between the fun-loving beach toys and the hardworking school supplies. The beach toys know what to do and how to enjoy doing it, and when time's up, they review their entry with cheerful optimism…until they spot the magnificent "castle of classrooms" Ruler and his pals have constructed. But the school supplies' overconfidence has led them to neglect Rule #1: Don't build too close to the water. As the tide rolls in, the beach toys make a difficult decision: they give their rivals some pro tips, and everyone works together to save the sand school. Bright, primary- and secondary-colored characters with heavy outlines feel exactly right in this tale of putting aside differences in order to get more done and have fun. The illustrations are as humorous as the pun-filled text, and readers will giggle at the specifics of how each object is personified. For example, a tipped-over wheeled backpack with its front panel rolled back is the vehicle in which the school supplies arrive. Ciccotello cleverly emphasizes the beach toys' play-all-day natures by setting some of their scenes against the distant silhouette of an amusement park. Lightly couched as summer fun versus school-year industriousness, the ending suggests that something in between the two is best. VERDICT This book is loads of fun in the "x versus y" genre and a great selection for back-to-school displays.—Rachel Owens, O'Neal Library, Birmingham, AL

School Library Journal