I like the illustrator R.W. Alley.  Everything he draws is cute and darling. He is also writing his own books, and I think that Gretchen Over the Beach is just right for summer. The dedication reads “With love to Z & C & M for making my world so colorful.”  It is on a page showing the house, and the car driving away down the hill towards the bright blue sea.  The rest of the colors are muted and restful.  It’s all so calm.

“One breezy beach day, Gretchen’s brothers and sister rushed down to the water. Gretchen called, “Wait up!” but no one listened.” Gretchen is the youngest, and she is stuck making sand castles by a tide pool with her toys, the roly-polys. She’s wearing a peach-colored swim suit, and a sun hat with a pinkish ribbon. Dad is under a rather bland beach umbrella, reading the newspaper. In the distance is a gray lighthouse.

Her hat blows away and she calls to it, and it doesn’t listen either. “Gretchen grabbed the ribbon. The roly-polys grabbed Gretchen.” Suddenly her swim suit is bright red and white, and the ribbon is red, and the hat is flying. Up they go, roly-polys and all!  The sky is blue, the sea is deep green, and the lighthouse and the beach umbrella are both red-and-white-striped.  There is quite an adventure in the clouds with a friendly sea gull. Only Gretchen can save the roly-polys when danger threatens, and return them safely to the beach.

Dad never notices, and he is folding up a dull beach towel. You can’t see his face. The lighthouse is gray again. Her brothers and sister return from the sea, and wonder how little Gretchen ever got so wet. “Mitchell said, You weren’t even in the big waves.”  Gretchen had an adventure of her own, and did not need anyone else. The colors and the expressions on people’s faces are still darling. And you still don’t see Dad’s face. Even on the last page when he walks into the house, you see just the back half of his head.

Gretchen Over the Beach is cute and just right for a summer day. Pick it up in the Children’s Department of the Pine Bush Area Public Library.  And hold onto your hat, because you never know where it might take you!