Taffy Saltwater's Yummy Summer Day

MICHAEL PARASKEVAS is a widely recognized illustrator whose work has been included in magazines and newspapers from Time and Sports Illustrated to the Washington Post and the New York Times. With his mother, Betty Paraskevas, he created twenty picture books and three television series, including Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. Taffy is Michael's first project as both author and illustrator.

K-Gr 2-Taffy; her beach ball, Rollo; and her stuffed toy, Rigby Rabbit, arrive at the shore and search for the perfect place to build a sand castle. As Rollo is setting up their umbrella, he is carried away by a gust of wind. "'Hang on, Rollo,' Taffy shouted." She and Rigby, along with Mr. Footer the Hot Dog Man, Edna the Lemon-Ice Lady, and Chris the Lifeguard jump on the back of Bob the Sea Monster, Taffy's large inflatable toy. They ride the wind to aid Rollo. The beach ball lands on a deserted area and is befriended by a lone seagull. When all the others arrive, Taffy declares that they have now found just the spot to build a spectacular sand castle. The illustrations are colorful and appealing, but the bland text is unlikely to engage readers.-Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampaα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.