While out on the beach, my children, Cory (age 7) and Randi-Kiana(age 3), and I had been building a sand castle all day. When the tide started coming in, I told them we had to go because the ocean was coming up the beach. My little girl, Randi-Kiana, started screaming at the ocean and kicking and hitting the waves with her tiny feet and hands. In order to distract her so I could move her up the beach, I came up with a story about a prince and his sand castles. The children came up with the names of the characters of this story, so it makes it part theirs as well.

From the computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code comes this lively and funny story introducing kids to computer coding concepts. All summer, Pearl has been trying to build the perfect sandcastle, but out-of-control Frisbees and mischievous puppies keep getting in the way! Pearl and her robot friend Pascal have one last chance, and this time, they’re going to use code to get the job done. Using fundamental computer coding concepts like sequences and loops, Pearl and Pascal are able to break down their sandcastle problem into small, manageable steps. If they can create working code, this could turn out to be the best beach day ever! With renowned computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code, Josh Funk and Sara Palacios use humor, relatable situations, and bright artwork to introduce kids to the fun of coding.

A modern, summery spin on the classic The House That Jack Built, in which Lola's day at the beach leads to new friends and a giant sandcastle. Lola is building her dream sandcastle--one with a tall, tall tower and sea glass that sends signals to mermaids. But the beach is crowded, and soon enough, a boy steps on her castle. Not to worry! Lola recruits him to build a wall. When a toddler with a bulldozer starts digging too close the walls, Lola decides he can be in charge of digging the moat. As the sandcastle grows, so does Lola's friendly group of helpers. There's only one thing that Lola doesn't want near the sandcastle: a wave! Will the new friends be able to salvage the mermaids' castle when their hard work is washed away?

A renowned sand sculptor puts a permanent end to less-than-perfect beach creations as she provides the ultimate step-by-step guide to building impressive sandcastles.

Matthew enters a contest at the beach and builds an unbelievable sand castle.

It's a perfect beach day, or so thought the family, young couple, a few tourists, and a refugee who all end up in the same secluded, idyllic cove filled with rock pools and sandy shore, encircled by green, densely vegetated cliffs. But this utopia hides a dark secret. First there is the dead body of a woman found floating in the crystal-clear water. Then there is the odd fact that all the children are aging rapidly. Soon everybody is growing older--every half hour--and there doesn't seem to be any way out of the cove. Levy's dramatic storytelling works seamlessly with Peeters's sinister art to create a profoundly disturbing and fantastical mystery. Praise for Sandcastle "Begins like a murder mystery, continues like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and finishes with a kind of existentialism that wouldn't be out of place in a Von Trier film." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Sandcastle is a fast 112-page read you won't be able to put down." --Cleveland.com "Peeters and L vy convey some profound, if profoundly unsubtle, truths about the human condition. Weighty stuff, expertly told." --The Comics Bulletin