Harry by the Sea

This is a children's picture book is about a dog named Harry and his adventure at the beach one day with his family. There was not enough room under the umbrella for him so he left looking for shade and ended up being covered in seaweed and being mistaken for a sea monster. Calamity ensues when he can't find his family and the beach attendants try to catch him to bring to the aquarium. He ends up by the hotdog stand and jumps up and the seaweed falls off and he finds his family. This book can start a really good discussion about how things aren't always as they seem on the surface, and how people shouldn't judge until they have the whole story or see the whole picture. The illustrations are interesting because they all drawn or colored show more in three colors: green, orange and black. Because the color scheme is so simple it keeps attention on the story but it they are harsh colors to pair together so it could turn away some readers. Teachers could use this in their classroom to talk about judging people and write a story about a time they were judged unfairly. show less

I liked this book because it teaches a very good lesson about getting lost. I really enjoyed the pictures because they all consisted of the same colors which is different than a lot of most books. For example, all of the pictures consisted of yellow green and orange colors. Even the water was a green color instead of blue. That was one of the first things I noticed and thought was very interesting and different. I also really liked the plot of the story. It flowed together very well and was relatable to anyone who has gotten lost before on the beach. For example, Harry tries to find his family by their umbrella and everyone at the beach has a green, white, and orange stripped umbrella so he's unable to find them. This could and most show more likely has happened to many kids before. The big idea of this book is to inform readers to pay more attention to their surroundings to prevent them from getting lost. show less

My daughter loved Harry the Dirty Dog already, and now this has been added to our favorites pile. She's asking for it all the time. I love this because the photos of Harry covered in seaweed are some of the best things I've ever seen. Hilarious! I love it! The only thing we change is to leave out the word "fat" on one page, because come on, the past.

Harry by the Sea was such a fun story that teaches children that if they wander off, they may want to pay attention to their surrounding so they don't end up getting lost. I really enjoyed the book mostly because of the plot and because of the illustrations. If a child has ever gotten separated from their family in a store, they will understand how Harry feels when he goes to look for his family and all the beach umbrellas look exactly like his family's umbrella, so it's very relatable to children. The illustrations used a very unorthodox color scheme - a lot of orange and greens, instead of blues that you'd expect the water to be colored. I really liked that because it caught my attention immediately and made black and white Harry show more stand out in each page. show less

Harry's family brings him to the beach, but doesn't make room for him under the umbrella's shade. Harry ends up covered in seaweed, a "sea monster" creating an uproar among beach-goers. But his family's umbrella looks like every other family's...how will he find them again? Again, Harry's pretty good-natured about his less-than-sharp family.

*

Re-read June 2018

In my opinion this book is a cute and simple plot lined story that younger children will enjoy reading for fun. The illustrations really complimented the story. With the simple colors and shading, the illustrations matched the writing style of the story: easy flowing but fun. I think pictures with vivid bright colors and perfectly drawn characters would have complicated the book, losing the meaning of the story. Some of the pictures were sketched out on two pages as if characters were moving along the page. For example when Harry escapes the trash basket before the beach attendants can catch him, you see he "running" onto the other page while the attendants are watching as he does so. Little things like aids in the enjoyment of reading show more the book; like paying attention to detail. The simple rise and fall action of the plot is another attribute of the book I enjoyed. The plot intrigues the reader to want to keep turning the page to find out what happens to Harry without making it too complicated for the age level who's reading it. Same with the language; very clear but still engaging, which is good for the age level. Overall, I think the main idea behind this story is to create a simple depiction of a familiar character going on another adventure for children's reading pleasure. show less

I liked this book because it was a humorous story that shows a frequent fear of many children. When Harry was by the sea, he saw how all of the umbrellas and people looked alike and it was difficult to find your family after you had left for a short time. This book was also humorous and realistic as humans often get covered in seaweed and become grossed out by it. The people in the story rightfully got scared because seaweed makes anything look gross and scary. The pictures perfectly illustrate the story, especially the faces of the beach-goers, when they are scared, upset, or happy. The main idea of this story is that you will always be found if you get lost.