The Sand Castle Contest is a quick read with enough fantasy to make it silly summer fun. Author Robert Munsch discloses that Matthew loves to play in sand and wants a dog. A humorous tone and this foreshadowing prepare us for the sand castle contest to come. Munsch cleverly blurs the boundary between fantasy and reality in a way that makes us laugh. All is not light-hearted, though. Munsch allows Matthew to express frustration and anger in defense of his truth.
A note of caution: At the beginning of the
story, a friendly girl of color plans to win the contest. However, it is a white
male who builds an extraordinary structure and wins the bathtub of ice cream. There
may need to be some sensitive, respectful conversation about this plot.
