It is the perfect day to make sandcastles at the beach. One castle can have seaweed. Two can have sticks. Three can have a colorful stone, a shell and many more to pick. Count up the castles and see how many there are in the end.

This counting story is told through a fun poem about kids creating different types of sandcastles. It is an easy read for both young ages and pre-readers, who can read alone or with a guardian. Readers will learn how to count upward from one to ten, recognizing numbers, groupings and patterns. By the end of the poem, the readers are shown the empowerment of their creativity and individualism.

Age range: Grade K-1, ages 2-6 years

AVAILABLE on Amazon in hardcover and paperback, Bank Square Books, Barnesandnoble.com, Bookshop.org, Walmart.com, and Target.com

About the Authors

Author-illustrator, Sarah Downie (left), collaborated with Deborah Motycka Downie (right) to make this simple counting book into a playful book of rhymes.

This is the second children’s book Sarah Downie has illustrated. While the first one was illustrated with gouache and acrylic paints with digital editing, this book is done with mix media, incorporating watercolor, cut paper, pastels, color pencils, and digital editing. The book allowed Sarah to experiment with color and textures. Like her first book, she recommends readers interact with the book by touch, pointing, tracing and exploring the illustration for hidden objects.

Deborah Motycka Downie is a geologist, mother, and grandmother who lives with her family in coastal Connecticut. She loves to travel and loves the beach and was excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with her daughter on this book.