Gretchen Over the Beach, written by R.W. Alley, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Review: Faiqa A.
Summary: Gretchen Over the Beach depicts a young girl named Gretchen and the whirlwind adventure she encounters one day while at the beach with the rest of her family. As the youngest of four children, Gretchen is continuously left behind by her older siblings as they have fun by themselves playing in the water and in the sand. All of a sudden, her fancy new hat flies away from her and is guided by the wind towards the ocean. Rushing to retrieve her beloved hat, Gretchen ends up grabbing the hat and flying away in the wind with the hat. Lifted into the sky, she soon meets a friendly seagull and embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with her new friend. She also had a group of roly-polys that tagged along.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book emphasizes the value of maintaining an optimistic perspective and finding your own happiness. Even though she is excluded by her siblings, Gretchen is still able to look on the bright side and have fun with her seagull friend. This storybook utilizes aesthetically pleasing ink-and-watercolor illustrations with pastel and neutral color palette, which definitely captures the reader’s attention. Readers will enjoy looking for the roly-polys throughout the pages. The reader will be in on Gretchen’s secret, while her siblings are not. This book is a perfect summer read, especially for those who happen to sympathize with feeling left out or being the youngest child. I foresee a summer or beach themed book display. Readers may also recognize the author/illustrator’s name from Paddington books.