Great for K-1. Second-graders did not really like it. The character is a preschooler. The second-graders could not relate. There is a very nice youtube read-aloud (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnY0QoTGnK0) which also includes inspirational comments about overcoming fear. ( )

There are many reasons why I liked this book. One element of the book that I really liked was the language. The language in this story engages readers through its descriptive nature and imagery. For example, in the story the narrator describes the waves on the beach and states that “the ocean goes on and on and makes huge roaring sounds.” The language in this phrase allows the reader to imagine and hear the loudness of the waves because the author used descriptive adjectives to explain the sounds of the waves.

Additionally, the plot contributed to why I liked the book. For example, in the book, at the same moment that Lulu, the main character, and her dog, Bingo, decide to dip their feet in a water, a wave crashes that almost pulls them into the ocean. When she looks around and sees that everyone is happily playing in the ocean and does not worry about what happened to them, she realizes that it is okay and normal for that to happen. The timing of this event causes Lulu to face her fear and go into the ocean in order to get an item later on in the story. This plot creates a suspenseful tone that keeps the reader engaged and also is a main contributor to the lesson of the story: it is important to be brave and face your fears. ( )

This book was an awesome book. The characters were very well developed and 100% relatable. Lulu is a perfect character to relate back to readers 5-8. Throughout the book, she makes up excuses as to why she will not get into the water and in a way distracts herself away from it. Eventually she realizes that it is not so bad and she is glad she had conquered her fears. This book is a great example of Realistic Fiction because at times children tend to make up excuses over something they are nervous about. I think many young readers can definitely relate to this story. ( )

I strongly enjoyed this book. I say that for many reasons, but the first reason being the illustrations. The illustrations were very realistic and pleasing to the eye. They were subtle and warm, which gave a lot of detail to the characters appearance. Secondly, I really liked the characters. I say this because they were very believable and everyone had their own personalities and that was portrayed very well. For instance, Lulu was a very hopeful little girl. When her family arrived at the beach she was showing her excitement and her brother quickly shot her excitement down when he said she has never been to the beach before how does she know she is going to like it? Lulu replied quickly with, "But I already know that I love it.". Lulu stayed hopeful and ended up having a great day. That takes us to the main idea. I believe the main idea is to always have hope. Even when people are trying to change that or situations seem to contradict with your hope, always stay confident and hopeful. ( )

I really enjoyed this book for two reasons. The first reason being that the character was extremely believable. I felt that I could relate to the main character, Lulu. In the story, Lulu has never been to the beach before and is super excited for her first time at the ocean. When she arrived, she was terrified because of how large the waves were. Most readers can connect to this book, as everyone has their own fears that they have to overcome. The second reason I loved this book was due to the illustrations. I thought the pictures in the book did a great job showing the reader how Lulu was feeling. For example, on page four and five, Lulu stands at the ocean, watching the enormous waves. These pages are completely covered with very large waves. I was able to see that Lulu was terrified of going into the water without even reading the words on the page.

Being Realistic Fiction, the story provides hope for readers who may be struggling to overcome a fear. In the book, I was able to read about the journey Lulu had. In the beginning she was terrified to enter the ocean because of the large waves. Throughout the story, she learns that the waves were not as bad as she thought. At the end, she wishes she had spent more time in the ocean. The main message the story is portraying is to never let your fears hold you back. Lulu wished she had spent the entire day playing in the ocean, rather than being scared of the waves! ( )