Sophie's Castle by Heather F. Levine, J. K. Drummond (Illustrator), John Keith Drummond (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

One day at the beach, Sophie builds a fabulous sand castle, complete with lofty towers and a surrounding moat. But when ocean tides wash closer and closer, she must suddenly face the loss of her castle.

With help from a new playmate, Sophie finds the courage to start over again in this charming poem about friendship and faith in tomorrow.

Through the Looking Glass

Sophie is building a wonderful sand castle complete with towers and a bridge. Everything is perfect until the inevitable happens - the tide comes in. No matter what Sophie does her castle is doomed and as she watches her work of art is washed away.

Sophie is so upset that she wonders if there is any point in building sand castles if they are always going to be destroyed by the relentless waves of the incoming tide. Sophie asks herself "why should I even try?"

The next day Sophie is still upset and she is determined not to build another piece of sand art. At least she is until a little boy arrives on the beach and asks her to help him build a sand castle . Sophie begins to see that perhaps losing her castle to the tide was not such a bad thing and that one has to keep building ones castles in this life even if they are knocked down.

Written in gentle lilting rhyme, this metaphor for the trials of life, for the loss of something special which must be rebuilt when it falls, is powerful and can be enjoyed on several levels. Young children will see that Sophie does not give up creating something beautiful on the beach. Older readers will understand that we are going to lose many sandcastles in our lives and the important thing to remember is that one has to keep on trying even when the tide comes in.

Soft, evocative watercolors beautifully compliment the text.

www.lookingglassreview.com

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Soft, sun-washed seascapes and affectionate portraits are this book's highlights. The story has inherent value: a girl who lavishes time and attention on building a sand castle ("a palace of dreams") is devastated when the tide washes it away. While this is a refreshingly nonviolent metaphor for the things life takes from us, the text is awkward and trite: "She knew castles may fall,/but must not stop her dreams./She should build once again/when life's not as it seems." The artwork is lovely but the rigid versifying robs the story of its emotional impact and child appeal.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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