Perseverance is key when three children spend a day at the beach building castles in the sand, their efforts thwarted by challenges beyond their control. The trio—an older boy, a slightly younger girl, and a smaller child (all white)—are intensely focused on their work. The first castle is crushed by a woman’s wide-brimmed, windblown hat; the second is washed out by encroaching waves; a third attempt is destroyed by a running toddler. As the incoming tide shrinks the beach, they continue to build and rebuild, each time closer to where their parents sit at the edge of a nearby dune. There are so many captivating details to pore over in this wordless story, from the three kids’ actions and reactions to the myriad activities taking place among the diverse beachgoers around them to the drama of a seagull determined to get a piece of their picnic lunch. A story that began with them tumbling off a bus beneath a bright sky and racing toward the deep blue sea ends with them on board the bus again as the sun in the gold-glazed sky touches the water, and a satisfying day of sea, sand, creativity, cooperation, and collaboration comes to a close.     (Ages 3-7)