Shirley Hughes
(Red Fox)
The summer holidays are getting close (or might have even started for some), so what more delightful than to dive into a picturebook which oozes the simple pleasures of summer? Penguin Random House’s inspired decision to reissue f Lucy and Tom at the Seaside is much welcome, particularly as it coincides with the wonderful and unequaled Shirley Hughes receiving the Book trust Life Achievement Award .
Lucy and Tom are off to the seaside for a day of fun; from building sandcastles to fighting wasps off their chocolate cake, this is a simple tale of every day family life which carries a powerful message about enjoying the little things in life. There is much to discover and talk about in the artwork; but best of all, Lucy and Tom at the Seaside offers an opportunity for unrestrained nostalgia and reminiscing about childhood memories, as well as sharing them too. Because this book, it is me in the 1970s and 1980s on the beaches of native Normandy (minus the donkeys!). It is my children also, 30 odd years later, on the same beaches.
Some experiences do not age, some stories are timeless, and this is one of them.
Buy Lucy and Tom at the Seaside
source: own copy
Good news also: it looks like Lucy and Tom’s Christmas is also being reissued later this year! Hurrah!
I love Lucy and Tom books, I actually bought a used copy of the Christmas one last March because it was cheaper than trying to buy it in December. Glad to read it’s being reissued.