Going on a Journey to the Sea

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“I’m going on a journey with my sister to the sea / We packed a big
red suitcase and a knapsack just for me / We’re bringing suntan lotion
and a blanket for the sand / I hold the pail and shovel and my sister
holds my hand // ... We wade in right up to our knees, here comes a
great big wave / Shivering, quivering, holding tight, we’re trying to
be brave / We’re swimming—splishing, splashing—‘Let’s be
porpoises and whales / Or pirates on a treasure hunt for mermaids’
silvery scales.’”

The above excerpts are from this delightful book about a boy and his
older sister who are enjoying a day-trip to the beach. Told in rhyming
couplets, it describes a full day at the beach from getting on the bus
to the tired-but-happy journey home at sunset. Jane Barclay’s rhymes
will definitely strike a chord with anyone who has ever had a beach trip
as a child. Give life to Barclay’s text are page after page of Doris
Barrette’s wonderful illustrations. The illustration panels are so
colorful and full of movement, the reader can almost hear the waves
crashing and seagulls fighting for picnic scraps. Recommended.