Chu's Day at the Beach
By Tracy Moore,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Charming sneezing panda learns how to fix mistakes.
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What's the Story?
Chu the panda is having a lovely day at the beach. He has his ice cream cone, the sun is shining just right, and he's out and about in the water. Then, suddenly, he sneezes -- only this time, he sneezes so big he splits the ocean! Now the whale can't swim to the other side, and the merpandas are stuck, too. How will he fix the ocean? If he doesn't, no one will want to visit, and no one will come to buy ice cream. Chu has to figure out how to fix his mistake, if he can just figure out how to sneeze again.
Is It Any Good?
CHU'S DAY AT THE BEACH is a delightfully simple tale, but it yields big, reassuring messages about preschooler anxiety or feeling different. Here, Chu sneezes big, and though it splits the ocean right in two, potentially ruining the experience for everyone, he's given the space to work out a solution. Everyone lets him know they're sad. After all, the whale can't even swim through to the other side of the ocean if things stay this way -- but there's an air of acceptance and patience in giving Chu room to do what it takes to set things right.
With a little help from his friends, and some vividly drawn expressions and characters in oil and mixed media, this imaginative tale expresses the sense that our bodies may do strange things, but it happens to everyone. Messes may be easily made, but they're easily cleaned up with a little effort.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Chu's big sneeze. Do you sneeze big? What is the funniest thing that's ever happened when you've sneezed?
How does everyone react to Chu's sneeze?
Who helps Chu the most? What did he need to get his sneeze back?
Book Details
- Author: Neil Gaiman
- Illustrator: Adam Rex
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Ocean Creatures, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: April 7, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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