Sweet post vacation beach read! Also loved that it was about a kid with separated parents. i feel that you never see books like this, but is a reality for many children! loved the art and visuals

A heartwarming tale about the healing power of nature and creativity as a balm for the soul. Young Rowan is troubled by the constant to and fro between his parents who live apart. His dad takes him on a surprise trip to the beach, where he is overwhelmed to begin with, but soon the calming call of the sea waves and the joy of playing in the sand allow him to forget his woes. He wants to capture this freedom and happiness so he can hold on to the joy at home. He collects bits and pieces from the beach and creates a piece of art that mean the beach and that special day with dad are close to him always. A heartwarming read and a good reminder to get into nature and get creative to keep that serenity and joy close. #bringingthebeachhome #lauraatkins #netgalley

Bringing the Beach Home is a gentle story about a child named Rowan who finds comfort during life’s changes through nature and creativity. After a special day at the beach with Dad, Rowan crafts a wind chime to bring a little bit of that peace and magic back home. This book is a touching reminder that even during hard transitions, we can hold on to what matters most.

I absolutely loved this! The way they represented a child of divorce and the exhaustion of going back and forth was brilliant. I’m obsessed with the illustrations and the way it ended with the wind chimes was so gorgeous. The writing is beautiful I absolutely loved this so much.

This book was like a warm hug to my heart. I love the beach, and there was a page which felt like it was reading my mind whenever I’m at the beach. But it also beautifully tells the story of a kid going through life changes (seemingly living with mom and dad separately) and transforming the good vibes of the beach into, in a way, therapy! To top it off, there’s a lesson comparing creativity to the waves. A wonderful wonderful story!

This is such a beautiful story. Rowan has to split his time between his parents and he's feeling out of sorts. His dad helps him feel connected to the world with a day at the beach, and they bring back seashells and pebbles to make their own windchime.
This is a simple story with beautiful pictures, but the message is powerful. In the end, Rowan understands his place in the world and that he's safe and secure even though he doesn't spend all his time with both parents

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!

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.

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.