Sandcastles simply don't have a very stable life. And neither do many of us humans. So author and illustrator Breanna Carzoo chose her narrator wisely: a friendly but highly squishable sandcastle, someone a lot like us.
No sooner have the children released the sandcastle from their molding buckets than a boy's foot smashes it into a dazed lump that asks, "What just happened to me?!" A nearby sympathetic crab tries to fix at least the turret flag, as the sandcastle admits that the experience felt awful, picks itself up into a tall tower, and resolves never to let that happen again ...
... until a Frisbee lops off its head ("I should have seen that coming"). The poor sandcastle's persistent attempts to rebuild get subsequently dashed by rain and waves.
When the waves wash up another sandcastle, the story pivots. Our original sandcastle has nothing but compassion for the new one: "Oh, this is your first squish, isn't it? I'm sorry. I know it hurts." As they realize they don't need to go through these experiences alone, the two sandcastles catch on to the strength of going through life together (along with a multitude of crabs, never stingy in their help).
Written for readers ages four to eight, this book strikes just the right chords of humor, empathy, and resilience. We trust it will become a classic!
