Wave, by Suzy Lee - summer fun and memories of the beach (ages 3 - 6)

We've just spent a week at the beach in England, and our youngest has discovered the utter joy in chasing the waves. The first day, she was excited but terrified to touch the water. She would run to it, and then run away. By the end of our stay, she was thrilled, jumping up and down when the wave came up to her. I don't have pictures of her (too busy holding her hand!), but here's our middle daughter leaping with delight at the waves.

Do you remember your child’s first time seeing the ocean’s waves? Their fascination? The rhythm and magic of the ocean? Suzy Lee's wordless picture book is perfect for capturing those memories.

Wave
by Suzy Lee
SF: Chronicle Books, 2008
ages 3–6
available on Amazon and at your local library

A girl sees the wide beach before her, stretching across the horizon. She leaves her mother’s side to taunt and tease the wave. In the meantime, the wave approaches her little by little. Both the girl and the wave grow more courageous, until the girl goes too far into the wave’s territory. Suddenly, the wave roars up to become a great blue frothing wall of water, drenching the little girl. Startled, she looks around to discover shells and treasures that the wave has washed ashore. As the girl waves goodbye, readers can tell that she loved the game and will be back another day. This is a lovely, evocative story that is bound to bring back memories and start conversations.

You can have a taste of the book with the images from the book trailer, but the book itself reads even more beautifully. It is opens to quite wide double-page spreads, giving the reader a sense of the expanse of the beach and ocean. The colors are clear and beautiful.

I'm very excited about Suzy Lee's newest book, Shadow, coming out next month.

Here's the publisher's description from Chronicle Books:

A dark attic. A light bulb. An imaginative little girl.

Internationally acclaimed artist Suzy Lee uses these simple elements to create a visual tour de force that perfectly captures the joy of creative play and celebrates the power of imagination. Stunning in their simplicity, Lee's illustrations, in just two shades of color, present an adventure that begins and ends with the click of a light bulb.

Head over to the blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast to see more of Suzy Lee's artwork, and read a very interesting interview with Suzy.

The review copy came from our school library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this page, a small portion will go toward Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support.