Beach Buddy! Waiting for Chicken Smith by David Mackintosh

"HEY, LOOK!" my sister calls.

But I'm waiting for Chicken Smith.
He should be here soon.

The boy is has arrived at the beach cabin where he goes every summer and where his friend Chicken Smith always comes, with his rusty bike, his dog Jelly, and his binoculars to use to watch for whales from the base of the lighthouse.

But the boy has waited for several days and Chicken Smith has not come. Summer at the shore is not the same without his beach buddy.

Besides, Chicken Smith is cool. Together they swim far out, holding onto his dad's surfboard, and collect driftwood and special shells along the water line. Chicken Smith can kick a tennis ball all the way to the edge of the sea, and his dog Jelly will fetch it every single time. He can ride his old bike with no brakes everywhere, and every day, as the sun sinks low over the sea, they go to the lighthouse to watch with his binoculars for a whale to breach on the horizon. The boy has bought a special shell to give to Chicken Smith when he comes.

But Chicken Smith's cabin is still vacant, and there is a sign on the door,

SUMMER RENTAL
Inquire at shop.

What is taking Chicken Smith so long anyway?
We're missing out on everything.

"JUST HURRY UP!" his sister yells, running off down the beach.

What is she yelling about? The boy follows her down the beach and up to the lighthouse. He sees something he's never seen before.

It's a whale! He never saw one with Chicken Smith. But thanks to his sister, he sees the WHALE! With her.

Named for the character who never appears and through his absence changes the story, David Mackintosh's Waiting for Chicken Smith (Candlewick Press, 2019 [Am. ed]) deals with the truth that things always change, even the most beloved things, and people go on in new ways. Like the actors in "Waiting for Godot," the boy remains stuck waiting for his usual beach buddy to arrive and make things happen. But unlike those hapless characters, the boy's sister helps him move on to a wonderful new experience. Together they bond as they spot the long-awaited whale, plan a shell hunt for the next morning, and their relationship is changed forever. A sister can be a friend, too, one hopes, for life. To this understated but powerful story, author-illustrator David Macintosh adds wonderful scratchy illustrations that capture the rustic cabins and palm trees, flotsam and jetsam at the waterline, and the wondrous whale in perfect blues and soft browns of the beach. "Mackintosh’s text perfectly captures the timelessness of childhood summer," Kirkus Reviews says.

Not Your Usual Day at the Beach: Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Roost by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Since Roxie's daring adventure foiled the bank robbers with the help of her town's notorious Hooligans, Roxie has hoped for a truce with that scruffy, ragtag gang of misfits.

But Roxie underestimates the Hooligans. Even when her Uncle Dangerfoot takes her and her bespectacled friend Norman along to his beach house, hoping to work on his hush-hush invention with his friend Lord Thistlebottom far from prying eyes and the press, they find a way to stowaway.

It was almost five hours later, and evening when they reached a large old house that sat back a bit from the ocean. Roxie and Norman were very stiff.

Uncle Dangerfoot reached for the latch on the trailer and opened the door. "What in thunder...?" he bellowed.

Roxie stared as Helvetia Hagus, Simon Surly, Freddy Filch, and Smoky Jo came tumbling out.

It seems as if Roxie cannot escape the Hooligans. Uncle Dangerfoot inexplicably accepts their story that their parents will not come to fetch them, and although the housekeeper and cook, Mrs. Tumbledry, is kindly, the other tenant, the Widow Bittersweet, veiled and gowned in heavy brown mourning garb, is scary weird. Rosie and Norman resolve to make the best of the uninvited guests, and Uncle Dangerfoot and Lord Thistlebottom seem totally absorbed in their secret invention... until the larcenous Helvetia, always on the lookout for a source of lucre, manages to swipe it.

The kids discover that the covert contraption is a rocket-powered jet pack, and Helvetia seizes the opportunity to try it out. Apparently the device is not quite ready for prime time, but Helvetia survives soaring above the beach, followed by a dive into the sand. The cat is out of the bag, and Uncle Dangerfoot is forced to explain the real purpose of his hideaway. He and Thistlebottom conceal their device in the Widow's baby's crib, where the petite Smoky Joe has elected to sleep, and, swathed in a baby blanket, she winds up being mistaken for the jet pack and kidnapped by the nefarious villain, Alfred Applejack.

Can Rosie and the remaining Hooligans combine forces to save Smokie Jo, or will she have to rescue them, in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's second rip-roaring, harem scarem comic adventure, Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Roost (Atheneum Books, 2018).  In this series, Naylor's delightful ability to combine colorful and perilous adventures with picaresque humor is reminiscent of John Bellairs in his quaint and comic Gothic series which include The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Lewis Barnavelt) and his The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt (Johnny Dixon). Naylor, Newbery Award winner for Shiloh (The Shiloh Quartet), never fails to delight and enthrall readers, and this easy reading adventure novel is just right for summer nights.

Sand, Surf, and Moonshine: Vampirina at the Beach by Anne Marie Pace

When the summer moon is full, a beach trip is an epic way to spend the night.

No need to pack the sunscreen! Vampires surf at night!

Vampirina and her family load up the big black hearse, and with her surfboard tied to the roof, head off to the ocean side just as the the sun is sinking into the sea.

And with the full moon rising in the sky, there is plenty of light for these denizens of the dark, as they unload their cooler, the beach blanket and umbrella to ward off those moonbeams, and stake out their spot on the sand with their R.I.P. marker. The sea bats circle as they slather on their SPF50 moonscreen, and then they're ready for fun.

Little brother Frankie builds his haunted sand castle. There's a treasure chest hunt for all the little monsters, and then it's time to hit the waves. Big sister Vampirina hands Frankie his floatie, reminds him to always swim with a buddy, whether it's another little boy or a sea monster, and to stay in sight of the life guard.

Her sisterly duties discharged, she is ready to swim out beyond the breakers for some surfboarding.

Vampirina puts her ballerina skills to good use, as she goes into a perfect plie' as she stands up to catch a gnarly swell, which turns into a monster WAVE. Uh-Oh!

WIPEOUT!

Vampirina bounces back, but decides it's time to do some leisurely snorkeling, and with a friendly little werewolf, she explores an enticing shipwreck down deep.

And as the moon begins to sink in the sky, there's one more thing Vampirina just has to do--join the Massive Midnight Dance Contest, where she partners with her werewolf friend, a sure-enough Moon Doggie, and brings home the first place trophy.

In "Countess" Anne Marie Pace's third book in series, Vampirina at the Beach (Disney Hyperion, 2017), there are plenty of pseudo-scary visual gags and vampire puns for young monster fans seek out in this unusual oceanside outing. Ace artist Leuyen Tham provides the moonlit illustrations with lots of comic touches, including a four-page gatefold that depicts the grand finale of the Midnight Monster Dance scene in all its pre-dawn gory glory. Share this one with Brian Lies' classic, Bats at the Beach (A Bat Book) for a spectacular pair of lunar-lit reads.

Other Vampirina books are Vampirina Ballerina and Vampirina Ballerina Hosts a Sleepover (see reviews here).

Blue Crab Blues: Crabby Crab by Chris Raschka

The sun may be high over the beach, but it's definitely low tide as far as Crabby Crab is concerned. His shell may be bright red, but he's definitely one blue crab.And when this crustacean gets crotchety, he's quite a cranky crab.

His seaside retinue tries to cheer him up, pointing out that as crabs go, he's a hunk. Why, he's got two curvaceous claws.

Crabby Crab complains that he would just as soon have fingers, thank you!

His friends cite the fact that he has eight (count 'em) legs. (He's way ahead in the locomotion category. After all, Clam has only a foot, and no legs at all!)

Crab kvetches that they only walk sideways. He couldn't "go straight" even if he wanted to.

It seems that Crab cannot be consoled. But after all, who actually expects a perky crab? He is their Crabby Crab, and his oceanside gang loves him for his, um, consistency! Yeah, yeah, that's it.

In his brand-new Thingy Things book, Chris Raschka's Crabby Crab (Thingy Things) (Abrams Appleseed Books, 2014), Caldecott artist Chris Raschka takes complaining to new heights with his irascible crab protagonist. Raschka's art style is in full evidence here, with his textured scratchy line and paint daubs seemingly applied with abandon, managing to give his cross crustacean a lot of quirky personality and what looks like a heck of a sunburn. "Sublimely ridiculous!" crows Kirkus in their starred review.

Others of Chris Raschka's Thingys (Thingies?) are Cowy Cow (Thingy Things), Whaley Whale (Thingy Things), and Lamby Lamb (Thingy Things).

Got Sunglasses? Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach by James Dean

PETE THE CAT GOES TO THE BEACH WITH HIS MOM AND BROTHER BOB.

"LET'S GO IN THE WATER!" SAYS BOB.

"... MAYBE LATER," SAYS PETE.

It's a hot day at the beach, and big brother Bob hits the waves with his surfboard, while Pete the Cat watches from the safety of the shore.

There's lots more to do, thinks Pete, watching the waves warily. He builds an elaborate sand castle, and Mom helps dig the moat. It's a great castle--until a big wave rolls in! Oh, no! Gotta watch those waves!

Pete surveys his demolished castle just as Bob rides a wave right to the beach.

"WOW! THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN!" THINKS PETE.

Still, Pete is unsure about that restless water. After all, look what it did to his sand castle.

Mom invites him along on a beach walk and they collect some groovy shells. That's all good, but now Pete realizes that he's hot, really HOT! A dunk in the ocean is looking better and better!

In James Dean's summery I-Can-Read Pete the Cat book, Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach (My First I Can Read) (Harper, 2013), Pete the Cat ventures to get more than his feet wet as Brother Bob gives him his first surfing lessons and Pete affirms that while it's all right to be a little afraid of the waves, it's more fun to surf on top of them.  In fact, it's all good!

Other Pete I-Can-Read beginning readers include Pete the Cat: Pete's Big Lunch (My First I Can Read), and Pete the Cat: Play Ball! (My First I Can Read).

Shell Game: Splat the Cat: A Whale of a Tale by Rob Scotton

SPLAT THE CAT BUCKLED HIS SEAT BELT.

"LET'S GO!   IT'S VACATION TIME!"

It's summertime, he's on the way to the beach, and Splat the Cat doesn't have a care in the world.  Except for one job.

"BRING ME BACK A SHELL SO I CAN HEAR THE SEA, TOO!" Grandpa had said.

So before Splat can have a carefree frolic in the sea, finding that perfect seashell is job one.

Splat heads down the beach,

He spots small, boring shells, clam shells, even an egg shell left from someone's picnic. He spies a golden shell mostly buried in the sand. It turns out to be a cool ship's bell, but it's not what he wants.  He just has to find a shell that will bring Grandpa back the sound of the sea!

Splat notices that the sand is mysteriously littered with broken shells. But then he looks up just in time to see a seagull dropping an intact shell. CRAAACK! It hits the sand and shatters. Mystery solved.

But how is Splat going to get a perfect shell with the sound of the sea still inside?

Splat's seaside hunt takes a fantastical turn in an encounter with a friendly whale in Rob Scotten's new summer-themed I-Can-Read book, Splat the Cat: A Whale of a Tale (I Can Read Book 1) (Harper, 2013). In another funny story from the prolific Rob Scotton starring his jittery kitty, Splat muses on the way home that he has two gifts for Grandpa, a shell with the sound of the sea and a whale of a tale!