July StoryWalk – Beach Feet

The July StoryWalk at Jane’s Garden at West Falmouth Library is Beach Feet by Kiyomi Konagaya, illustrated by Masamitsu Saito. A family friendly outing, available to visit during daytime hours.

The story of a boy’s visit to the beach, Beach Feet opens with a small boy feeling the heat of the sand and then running towards the ocean. Free and independent despite his young age and the tube around his waist, the boy gives himself over to the ocean and the pleasures to be had at water’s edge. Throughout, the boy’s connection to the beach through his feet, the feel of sand, shells, water, is never lost. Unusual perspectives and a pitch-perfect voice make this a standout.

“So evocatively does poet Konagaya observe the experiences of feet at the beach, and so vividly does artist Saito record them, that to read this book is to be transported straight to the seaside…Big forms provide motion and action, while the artwork gives the pages a sense of velvety luxury. A small-scale creation that yields unexpected richness of experience.” ―Starred review, Publishers Weekly

The StoryWalk project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.