See You Next Year

See You Next Year written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Todd Stewart (2015)

The young girl tells about how her family travels the same roads and goes to the same beach every year. Nothing ever changes, and that’s the way she likes it. They always arrive on a Saturday and stay for one week. She gives a description of each day at the beach: the tractor that swirls the sand in the morning, the seagulls that fly overhead, the people who bring their towels and coolers, the evening campfires, splashing in the waves, listening to the band in town, digging holes in the sand, and watching for shooting stars. Even coming home is good, especially when there’s mail waiting for her on Monday. ‘See you next year’  It’s a postcard from her friend.

This is a ‘quiet’ book. Perfect to settle pre-vacation excitement or to reassure post-vacation blues. There’s no big mystery, surprise ending, world’s funniest joke, or giant climax to overcome. Just a simple story of a week at the beach.  It’s especially good for kids who like routines.

Enjoy reading this with your child time and time again.

Use some beach sand or clean play sand to make a permanent FOOTPRINT keepsake.

The Paper Plate Seagull looks self-explanatory… easy!

Some fun ideas to do with all the shells you might collect on the beach.