Beachin' Fun: Sea & Rex by Molly Idle

READY FOR A CAREFREE DAY IN THE SUN?

GATHER YOUR FRIENDS AND HEAD TO THE BEACH!

And when little Cordelia goes on an outing, she takes some formidable friends along, Rex and his prehistoric pals!

Nobody goes anywhere with Cordelia without instructions, however. And her little brother appropriately dressed as a pirate, listens as she runs through the rules.

STASH YOURSELF NEXT TO A LIFE GUARD, WHO WILL KEEP AN EYE ON YOU.

That seems like superfluous advice for a troop of cretaceous creatures led by a T. Rex, but Cordelia has more good advice.

USE PLENTY OF SUNSCREEN!

Oops!  Too late for Rex, who has already gone from green to bright pink. But with that detail taken care of, the group spreads out to find their own fun. Rex goes hunting for shells, but comes up with only a triceratops horn. Cordelia warns the swimmers always to jump in feet first, but Rex hits the waves for a bit of snorkeling. Now Where is he? Cordelia swims out to find Rex.

Soon it's time for the beach picnic, but...Oh, no!

Cordelia forgot to warn everyone back on the beach that sea gulls can be larcenous. One snatches the picnic basket, and another makes off with her little brother's Teddy bear. But there's no need to worry or fear; not when you have a T. Rex near! With lunch and plush lovey restored, it's a great day for all concerned.

WHEN YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS, LIFE'S A DAY AT THE BEACH!

Molly Idle's latest, a girl-and-her-dinosaur idyll on the shore, Sea Rex (Viking Books, 2015), shows the two unlikely buddies and friends shell-hunting and sand castle constructing, doing all the things kids love to do beside the sea.

Idle's illustrative style is like no other. Her colored pencil strokes are all broad and curvaceous, from Cordelia's little round tummy, to the sandy shore dunes, to Rex's voluminous rotundity, giving her stories a soothing fullness. This one, like her Caldecott-winning Flora and the Flamingo, has a serenity of line and its own joie de vive as an odd couple of pals find a new place to play together for fun in the sun.