Chu's Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Rex




Chu's Day at the Beach is the third in a series of picture books about a little panda with big a sneeze written by  Neil Gaiman and magnificently illustrated by as master author in his own right, Adam Rex. Sometimes Gaiman's story doesn't get beyond the gag of the explosive sneeze, but Rex's illustrations are always a treat. Painterly and packed with out of the ordinary (for picture books) animals, you will want to read the book over and over.

In Chu's Day at the Beach, Chu sneezes and parts the sea. The idea itself is pretty funny, but what Chu and the other beach goers see when they can walk between the waves is truly amazing. With the help of a very friendly octopus selling ice cream and a passing seagull, Chu tries everything to sneeze again and set things right.





A pangolin, a baboon, a grasshopper, an okapi and a woodchuck are among the more exotic of the sunbathers while Chu and his family see merpandas and humpback whales are on view after Chu's sneeze. Rex works in a bright, summery palette in popsicle and beach ball tones.



I love everything that Adam Rex does, whether it's a middle grade novel, or a picture book he is illustrating for another author, but I hope we get another picture book written and illustrated from him again soon!

Picture books written & illustrated by 
Adam Rex:





 The first two Chu books:


Chu's First Day of School

Source: Review Copy

Popular posts from this blog

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

Under Earth, Under Water by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński, 112 pp, RL: ALL AGES