Meet Katie at the beach by Rebecca Johnson

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Illus. by Lucia Masciullo. Aussie kids series. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760893675. 64pp.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Eight stories, each one set in a different state or territory around Australia will please younger readers looking for a series of books for their emerging competency with reading. Each book is short, with copious illustrations, divided into six or so chapters, with a level of reading suited to the newly acquired skills but not in any way watered down. The language is engaging and some longer words are included to stretch the new readers. Each book contains a map to locate the story, some interesting facts that come out of the story and a list of the others in the series. Each story is placed within a family and children will feel some familiarity with the setting.
Meet Katie at the beach has a family living in a high rise apartment near the beach in Queensland, packing their towels and esky for some time at the beach. Katie has some pain in her mouth as one of her teeth is very wobbly and she is unsure about going. But once on the beach she and her siblings build a castle and play in the water, body surfing with Dad until Katie notices there her tooth is missing. A search follows.
All comes together nicely and readers will have absorbed a lot of information about being safe on the beach and how one group of Australians live. Themes: Australia, Queensland, Humour, Beach.
Fran Knight

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