The illustrations are lovely and I'm sure this is a lovely book but I couldn't get this to view properly, pages kept showing upside down and text not visible?!

This book was a terrific recognition of living in a separate parent house and I love that the dad made recognized the kids frustration with going back and forth. The beach was such a great place to experience many things and explore different feelings. I also appreciated the activity at the back of the book.

This book was given to me as an ARC from NetGalley and the Publishers, so thank you!

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this story about a child going to the beach with their dad on dad's weekend. The kid doesn't like to go back and forth but loves the adventure of the beach and spending the day with their dad. They even make a great windchime out of their finds. A lovely story full of hope and creativity.

Rowan doesn't want to take another long ride in the car with dad, but dad has a surprise for him. A day at the beach! after a grumpy start, Rowan has a really good time, goes to dad's house with shells and more. Then Rowan collects a few things at the house and makes an excellent reminder of the trip. Nice read!
The illustrations by Evgenia Penman are simple, imaginative, and colorful. Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from The Collective Book Studio via NetGalley.
#BringingtheBeachHome by @laura.atkins.creative and @evgeniapenman @thecollectivebookstudio
#NetGalley *****review @childrensbookcouncil #goodreads #bookbub #PictureBook #home #BooksForKids #ChildrensBooks #seashore #souvenirs #netgalleyreads @bookbub #creativity #sharedparents #sharedcustody #kidlit #picturebook @goodreads #illustrated

I enjoyed this heartwarming story about a child named Rowan. I loved that this story is about a child from separated parents. It isn't often that you find such a story.

Rowan is emotionally drained from his parent's separation and the constant travelling. When his dad brings him to the beach, though reluctant at first, Rowan enjoys his time there.

Rowan, with his dad's help, manages to bring the happiness he found at the beach back home in the form of a wind chime made from the seashells and sticks found at the beach.

The Illustrations beautifully encapsulate Rowan's emotions and elevate the story.

This is a very sweet story about a boy named Rowan, who is tired of driving back and forth between his parents , finds solace in the beach and is able to re-create it back at home.

In this beautifully illustrated story, the tiredness of the constant travel from moving between homes, the initial reluctance at beach, authentically portrays the feelings of a child with separated parents

I love how Rowan slowly and surely falls in love with the beach and finds himself at home in beach, in the sand and in the wind and finds a way to bring it back home.

A very sceptical child is won over by a day at the beach – yes the first thing that happens is the kid gets burnt feet from the hot sand and then wet, but after that things are much more amenable. The picnic is good, the seaside invites physical activity, and it does eventually get to feel quite like home. The text is a touch awkward in not using pronouns to make the child gender-neutral, but the book does want to prove that any child could have the same experience, of gaining one of several kinds of warmth at the seaside. The widescreen format and spreads of artwork hint at the epic, but this is more of a personal thing, and it's definitely all four star quality. I didn't personally agree with the post-beach creative activity, as I live within earshot of a neighbour with lots of them, unfortunately, but that's a personal thing. I love the shorelines of my country, and this will act as a decent advert for them if necessary.

An heartwarming story about a boy living between his parent's homes. I will absolutely use this story with my students to open a discussion and even as an introduction for a wind chime art project. This book can open a lot of doors from an educational point of view.

Laura Atkins writes a sweet children's picture book about a young boy named Rowan and his amazing time spent at the beach with his father. Like many other normal children his age, Rowan can probably be found to have moments when his frustration grows beyond what his reasoning allows him to control. Rowan is a child who is caught between his parents' separation, and he is required to move back and forth between their homes as they each want to spend time with their precious darling son. Sometimes this moving back and forth can become overwhelming as Rowan most reasonably wants his parents back together like other children's parents are discovered to be.

When Rowan spends time at the beach with his father, Rowan learns the wonder of the sea and birds and wind and sand. Sometimes the greatest lesson nature can teach is the value of patience and simply listening to the quiet and serenity. After a remarkable day of doing nothing more than spending their entire day together enjoying each other's company and the beauty of the natural environment around them, Rowan and his father learn that being together is the greatest gift they can exchange.

Following their day spent at the beach, Rowan and his father build a wonderful wind chime out of the materials they carried home with them-- seashells and a twig. They are content with listening to the gentle lullaby of the breeze and have learned to accept the tranquility of nature's quiet moments.

A wonderful addition to any child's library, this beautifully illustrated book will certainly bring smiles to faces as it is read whether as a family unit, during play time, or with a classroom or library filled with young readers with growing imaginations.

Great book! There were three main things that I appreciated about this story:
1. The plot idea. At first, the main character was hesitant to go to the beach for a day, but eventually found things there to love. I've seen this done before, but I definitely think that Atkins brought something fresh and different by writing this book. It's something more simple, while still being effective and relatable.
2. The diversity. I give lots of credit to the author for including divorced parents in this book, without making a big deal out of it. This might be a small thing, but it means a lot because it shows young readers that not all families look or act the same.
3. The creative aspect. I loved seeing the main character make a craft out of various souvenirs from the beach. This encourages kids to be creative in their own everyday lives, but it also puts souvenirs to use as something *more* rather than just having something that sits on a shelf.
Bravo!!

From the very first page, it’s clear that the boy in the story lives “between homes”. His parents are divorced, and emotionally, it’s not easy. On Fridays, his dad picks him up, and this time, he takes him to the sea.
And the sea… is always a kind of therapy.

This is a tender and gentle story not only about a child’s connection with nature (waves, sand, seashells) but also about self-discovery and emotional healing. It’s about noticing what we feel, naming it, and finding peace in the simplest of moments.
A quietly powerful read, perfect for winding down and talking about big feelings with little ones.

Loved the concept of this story! Working with children we have many that come from different homes. It was great to see a book that had a book where kids can see themselves. The illustrations were beautiful and brought the story to life. Would have liked to see the text spread out more through the book rather than one block on every few pages. I think this could help it stay engaging for children.

I love the ideas that this book brings forward. Like finding a place that feels like home, and being able to bring that space to you.

I did love that at the end of the book, there are suggestions for how to 'craft with your feelings' and how to take care of nature when you're using items from it.

I wish the story had the tiniest bit more context, as it felt like a sudden switch from hating the beach to loving it, but it does make sense for a child to make switches like that.

The art was beautiful and just brought a sense of peace when looking at it. And overall, this book felt peaceful and it was trying to help people appreciate family, the concept of home, and of course, the beach.

Bringing the Beach Home really exceeded my expectations. Any book about divorce is tricky -- there's so much to balance and it's hard to give a realistic portrayal in a positive light because divorce can be really hard--but Atkins did a beautiful job. The routines of divorce -- switching between houses--were mentioned but not made into a big deal. The child was portrayed realistically: at the beginning, he complains about all the driving back and forth, which feels very true to life, and isn't easily won over by the beach and complains for a while before he starts having fun. I really loved that the book is about the boy and his father (his mother is depicted at the beginning saying goodbye and the end welcoming him back but is otherwise absent) as a lot of divorce stories are of the mother and child. I also loved that the father was portrayed very positively -- he was unflappable in the face of the child's complaints and didn't try to change his mind or tell him to cheer up, planned a beautiful day at the beach, was very competent and remembered to bring everything, and made a day at the beach a fun memory for the two of them. Even divorce aside, we need more of the positive portrayals of fathers and I really loved and appreciated this aspect of the book. The end of the book was perhaps my favorite part. The boy, Rowan, wants to bring the beach home and then comes up with the idea of make a wind chime out of the treasures they brought home. The dad completely goes with it and helps Rowan's dream come true and the author even included Rowan bringing the wind chimes to his mother's house so he could keep the beach -- and the memory of the time with his dad--with him. This was just a very touching, well told, and special book. I can see it really normalizing divorce and positive father figures and that gives me so much hope. This would be a great book for the end of the year to get kids excited for the summer or for any summer reading program. I would recommend it for K through 3rd. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Five stars!

This book was so sweet. I appreciate the use of a divorced family as you don't see it in as many kids books that I've come across so seeing just his dad taking him to the beach rather than a "whole family" would be more inclusive for some children.

This review will also be posted on my blog/goodreads on June 21st (or thereabouts).

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

When I saw the cover I just had to request this book. I love the beach and would love to go more often, so any chance, be it a book or in real life to go to the beach, I will take it!

In this one we meet a small boy named Rowan whose parents have divorced and Rowan... well he is clearly fed up with the whole back and forthing that he has to do each week. So when his dad brings him to a special place, the beach, at first Rowan isn't happy. Yes, he likes the beach, but he is still in his EVERYTHING SUCKS mood and one doesn't get out of those easily. But dad is ready. Dad has brought all sorts of things to make sure that Rowan can relax and enjoy the beach. From yummy snacks, to shorts so he can stand in the waves, to helping out with shells. Plus, letting Rowan just have some time to just tune out which I love. Dad really understood that things weren't easy and was giving his son all the time. Dad was really the best. 

I loved seeing Rowan slowly gain more happiness, become one with the sounds of the beach, and see him laugh and enjoy in the end. 

I loved what happens after the beach day, that is such a wonderful idea from Rowan and I would love to make something similar now as well. I loved how the dad was there to help with the harder parts but let Rowan do most of it. And it looked gorgeous! 

I do hope that mom and dad will have a conversation about things, because this special day and what they made will not fix the fact that Rowan is tired of going back and forth. So I hope that the parents can see if they can do something more for Rowan and make it easier for him/more enjoyable. 

The art was really pretty and I liked the style. 

All in all, a pretty picture book about the beach, family, divorce, feelings, and more. I would recommend it.

Although I'd have preferred a sand castle be built rather than the kid being buried in the sand, this was overall a sweet, thoughtful read. Children who alternate between parents handle it in other ways but it's obvious as the story opens that Rowen has grown weary of it. That said, I noted that if you don't read the back of the book blurb, you may momentarily be confused about what is going on and why Rowen is looking so dejected. Dad does wonders to make this a special day, however, and suggestions on how to bring the beach home with you, so to speak, are shared. I liked the focus on natural materials and creativity. When Rowan looks at his creation, he'll surely remember this day.

The drawings and done in a light and airy fashion, recalling my own memories of some sunny days at the beach. I chuckled at Rowan finding the sand too hot initially because, as one who grew up near and spent considerable time at the beach with parents and friends, I, too, remember that issue all too well. The idea of how to use the seashells is definitely a fun one. While adults should probably be ready for questions about why Rowan is initially reluctant to go and looks so sullen, they should also be ready to explain the sad realities of divorce/custody. In other words, while a simple story of a day at the beach on the surface, the book offers many opportunities to discuss the world about us, let's say. Thanks to #TheCollectiveBookStudio for sharing this early look at a lovely book with .multiple layers. I enjoyed this virtual trip back to my childhood beach days.

Such a sweet story about finding the good in something you might not have initially felt like doing. Rowan is a little boy with big feelings. He's tired of going back and forth between Mom's and Dad's- especially all the driving. But this weekend, Dad has a special outing planned for him and Rowan. Rowan is initially hesitant but ultimately finds joy and comfort in the beach and what it has to offer. Paired with lovely illustrations, this is a touching story about navigating a difficult time and finding comfort in unexpected places.

You can absolutely tell that this book was a work of love by both the author and the illustrator. The words and the illustrations help to tell a lovely story.

I appreciate that our main character, Rowan, has big feelings that get shared with the reader and I appreciate that those feelings are validated throughout the story. Change is hard and not being able to stay in one place is difficult and deserves to be talked about for readers who experience this, too. How wonderful to be a young reader who feels the same way as Rowan does; your feelings get validated here, too. And it might bolster readers to be able to talk about their feelings with a loved one, too.

The last few pages about creating with our feelings is a wonderful chance for parents to connect with their little readers through crafts, too.

Rowan hates going between his mom and dad’s houses. His Dad says he is taking him someplace special-the beach. At first Rowan is not sure about the beach-the hot sand, the waves getting his pants wet. Soon he changing his mind. He ends up loving the waves and the wind. Before leaving, his dad buries Rowan in the sand. Rowan feels like the sand/earth are giving him a big hug. He collects things to take home, where he creates a wind chime. It helps him remember his day and his feelings of Home.

This is a sweet book that portrays the struggles of a child of divorced parents. I loved seeing the positive things the Dad does to help Rowan. I like the notes at the end about things to create and feelings. I loved the illustrations too!