Have You Been to the Beach Lately?

Ralph Fletcher, Fletcher. Orchard, $15.95 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-531-30330-6

An 11-year-old narrator chronicles a day near the surf with his family in Have You Been to the Beach Lately? by Ralph Fletcher, photos by Andrea Sperling. From the boy's initial encounter with the sea to ""Sunset,"" and finally ""Driving Home,"" his more than 30 poems cover all the senses of the salt-air environs. (Apr.)

Featured Children's Reviews

Aubrey Hartman

Clare, the undead fox of Deadwood Forest, is cast as a monster by the local children who gather each Halloween around the forest’s edge to chant about how he “waits to feast/ On Continue reading »

Tony Keith Jr

Poet and educator Keith (How the Boogeyman Became a Poet) delivers a poignant, hip-hop-fueled collection of poetry that’s equal parts memoir, love letter, and rallying cry to Continue reading »

Randy Boyagoda

Sixteen-year-old Sabel is puzzled by tonight’s family meal, which seems to be a special spread of her and her four siblings’ favorite foods. Sickness and savagery have toppled Continue reading »

Cheryl Willis Hudson

Willis Hudson movingly exalts the power of African American spirituals in a lyrics showcase that pairs existing verses with feelings they can evoke. On the first page, a Black Continue reading »