Sandy Toes: A Summer Adventure

Words by Shauntay Grant

Pictures by Candice Bradley

Abrams Appleseed

978-1-4197-6307-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-5

April 2023

 

Shauntay Grant's poetry has always shared the community and culture of African Canadians in Africville, The City Speaks in Drums and Up Home with great depth and heart. But, with Sandy Toes, she focuses on a child at play and new life beginning at the beach.

From Sandy Toes, words by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Candice Bradley

A family of four make their way to a sandy beach to enjoy the sun and the surf. There's wading into the water, sandcastle-building, kite-flying and ice cream, and getting wet. His older sister may have her own way of playing, but the toddler finds joy in running and splashing and floating. His fun comes from trying things out, both following his sister and being instructed by his dad.

From Sandy Toes, words by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Candice Bradley

But as the family enjoys the beach, sea turtle hatchlings are making their way from their birth locations to the ocean. A note Shauntay Grant appends to the story shares information about sea turtles and the nature of hatchlings to head for the ocean but also for the females to return when mature to lay their own eggs on the very beaches on which they'd hatched.

Whether a sea turtle hatchling making its way slowly to the sea or a young child joyously relishing a day in the sun and the water, the beach is a place of growth. That growth comes from a laborious trek or watching an elder sibling or parent but it's always a positive experience key to a turtle or child's development.

From Sandy Toes, words by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Candice Bradley

Shauntay Grant keeps her text simple but always alliterative and relevant to the young boy's experiences. The plainness of the text makes this book appropriate for those youngest children who are just learning to read, matching words with pictures and letter combinations. Though not really a concept book–after all, what concept would be being taught?–Sandy Toes will take children to the beach, to reflect on their own experiences there but also to imagine how others, both human and sea turtle, might enjoy it.

American Candice Bradley gives a brightness to Shauntay Grant's day at the beach. The warmth of the sand and water and sun are all there as is the affection of the family for each other. Her palette of blues and golds and roses might seem austere, but the variety of shades and tints increase her palette multifold and bring us to that beach to dig into that warm sand, cool off in the water, and rest on colourful towels.

Not all families are privileged enough to partake in a day at the beach with their children. But if they are, Sandy Toes shows us how it can involve delighting in their time together or in the play that is unique to a sandy shore or in the learning about sea turtles. It can truly be a summer adventure.