Review of A Day for Sandcastles by JonArno Lawson

Authors

Janelle Burd, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Candlewick Press

City

Somerville, Massachusetts, United States of America

Date of Publication

2022

ISBN

9781536208429

Date of Review

2023

Disciplines

Children's and Young Adult Literature | Library and Information Science

Keywords

Children's literature, reviews, picture book

Review

JonArno Lawson captures a beautiful story in the simple use of illustrations and comic-book style story telling. It shows the ability to perform story telling without the use of words. The story expresses a commonly shared experience of child play at the beach. A family arrives at the beach and the children are faced with the struggle of building and rebuilding a sandcastle as things seem to go wrong. The story illustrates the children as their attempts to work together is thwarted by the waves, other children, and outside forces destroying their sandcastle. They are slowly pushed further and further back on the beach as the tide comes in. As they finish their final attempt, they are called to return to the bus to go home. This book reaches to retell shared experiences. The wordless book allows for audience interpretation and self-insertion. It reaches an intended audience filled with imagination. The illustrations carry the weight of the story and provide an excellent imagery of the events playing out. Not every scene needs to be depicted but the expressions and simple changes create the story. Finally, the characters are portrayed through their interactions, expressions, and reactions. The illustrator and author use the characters to portray the struggles they are facing, and the decisions being made.

Optional Janelle Burd, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Burd, Janelle, "Review of A Day for Sandcastles by JonArno Lawson" (2023). Library Intern Book Reviews. 364.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/364

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