Come to the Ocean's Edge by Laurence Pringle (2003) is another book that basks in the beauty of the beach. The first page is a foggy dawn. We begin the day with a peek at gentle waves close to shore, larger waves far away, and gulls as shadowy forms flying "like ghosts in the mist." Turn the page and the sun begins to shine. "Sanderlings race a wave up, up on the beach." Soon a few people arrive and explore the tide pools. When families leave at the end of the day, illustrator Michale Chesworth reveals sea life below the ocean's surface. And then, it's a new day. "Once again the cries of gulls, the rhythm of waves, and the scent of sea air call people to the edge of something vast, wild, and mysterious." When I first came upon a book like this one, I was enchanted. Some artists render the multi sensory experience of the ocean so well. Chesworth does fine work with this limited text. To experience the ocean's edge is a gift.
