Like so many youngsters who spend time at the beach during summer vacations, Lola is building a sand castle. At first she works alone, and the illustrations, created with mixed media and collage techniques, show the careful way in which she builds. But eventually she enlists the help of others while dreaming of the mermaids who will visit her creation. While some of them are a bit reluctant to help, eventually they get excited by what they are building. But they get so caught up in their labor t...

After Lola builds a tower in the sand, several children proceed to "ruin" it accidentally, but each helps her rebuild it bigger and better than before, until an ocean wave wipes out all their work. Lola feels blue.All her new friends offer to help build a new sandcastle, as they head into some more fun play time at the end of the book. The story is set in the style of "The House That Jack Built," a popular British nursery rhyme and cumulative tale.

Great book about kids cooperating together. Ages 4+ for length of text.

This was a really cute book, but there is a part where this little kid with orange hair just blurts out “I’ll Build The Wall!” I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, but when I was doing it at Reading Time, there was a small collective “oof,” so it didn’t go unnoticed.

A perfect summer beach story - cumulative interrupted (which sounds oddly wrong but isn't), a story of summer friends in the perfect way that kids bond but never ask names (adults find this maddening). Cooperation without preachiness, friendliness that rings true, and a hint of mermaids. What could be better?

The Sandcastle That Lola Built by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Kate Berube. PICTURE BOOK. Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. $18. 9781524716158BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ADVISABLEAUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGEA variation on the house that Jack built, Lola is building a sandcastle when other kids on the beach interrupt her progress. Instead of getting upset or resolutely starting over, Lola invites them, each in turn, to join her on the project. When a wave washes the castle away, and Lola’s optimism with it, her...

Thanks to @kidlitexchange for the review copy of this book-all opinions are my own #kidlitexchange #partner“The Sandcastle that Lola Built” is a cumulative tale (told in the style of “The House that Jack Built) tells the story of a little girl’s sandcastle creation. As Lola begins building her masterpiece sandcastle, she runs into some troubles, but new friends are always ready to help her. Just as the finishing touches are placed on the castle, a wave arrives and takes it all away. Poor Lola is...

t's a day at the beach, and Lola decides to build a sandcastle, with a tall, tall, tower topped with sea glass to signal mermaids. When a boy accidentally steps on the tower, he finds himself helping Lola rebuild. But along comes a small boy with a digger truck, knocking their sandcastle down, and he also finds himself helping to rebuild. When Lola starts collecting shells for her sandcastle, she collides with another girl and both lose their shells. The girl finds herself helping Lola and her t...

A fun twist on The House that Jack Built that celebrates friendship and creativity. The summery story is paired with playful illustrations.

We received this book from Amazon in our book of the month club for my four year old daughter. The book starts out with a little girl named Lola building a sandcastle. Along comes a child and knocks down the sandcastle, Lola gives him a job to help rebuild it. This happens with several children throughout the book. Each time a kid knocks down a part of the castle, Lola gives them a job that uses the skills they had when they knocked it down (one kid digs a hole, Lola gives him the job of digging...

This picture book starts as a cumulative tale about building a sand castle based on the House That Jack Built which gets interrupted by other narrative events. Cleverly structured, this book is really a story about cooperation, kindness and perseverance. Cumulative tales are good early reading and partner reading books. Good one to add to a primary classroom collection.

Using the English nursery rhyme and cumulative tale, This is the House That Jack Built, as a basis for her text, author Megan Maynor tells the story of Lola, whose sandcastle making is continually interrupted by other children, each of whom eventually joins her in creating an amazing structure. But when their creation is wiped out by a rogue wave, is that the end of the fun...?A sweet, engaging book about a day at the seashore, The Sandcastle That Lola Built emphasizes friendship and teamwork, d...

4 1/2 starsI loved how the traditional format of "The House That Jack Built" that this started out in (which I personally despise for its pedantic nature) was broken up in a refreshing way. I loved the cut paper illustrations and how everyone found their own way to come together and be accepting of each other and work together. Loved this.

It starts out reading like a cumulative story, but then segues into a story with dialogue.

This beachy spin on “The House that Jack Built” is CUTE! Lola is building a sandcastle for mermaids to live in. When her sandcastle-building gets interrupted by various people, instead of being angry, she enlists their help! And let me tell you – they are amazing engineers! LOL What starts as just a pail of sand becomes a tall, tall tower, and eventually includes a wall of protection, a moat and a seashell driveway! However, when Lola’s beautiful plans get crashed, Lola is heartbroken. But her n...

Thanks to the Kid Lit Exchange for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.This darling picture book is sure to get you and your little one excited for summer! Lola gets a lesson in patience and makes new friends when she decides to build a giant, mermaid-signaling sandcastle at the beach. The story, a take on the classic "The House That Jack Built," will appeal to younger kiddos with its repetitive and playful tone and super cute illustrations. Five enthusiastic stars!

This summery picture book offers a riff on The House That Jack Built. Lola is busily building a sandcastle on the beach. She makes a tall tower and tops it with a piece of sea glass that will signal the mermaids. But then a kid playing frisbee accidentally knocks her castle down. He stays to help rebuild this time with a wall around the castle to protect it. A little boy pushes a bulldozer into the wall and he stays to help dig a moat around the wall. A girl trips and spills her shells. She stay...

As families are enjoying a few more trips to the beach before summer ends, this book shows young readers the fun of working together to build something awesome. The book starts with Lola building a sandcastle on the beach, but before too long she has Frisbee Dude building a wall, Little Guy bulldozing a moat, and Minnesota Girl supplying seashells for the road that leads to the moat. And even though their awesome sandcastle doesn't last for long, the friendship that they're building appears to b...

Lola starts building a sandcastle to signal the mermaids, but some how people keep accidentally destroying parts of it. First, there’s Frisbee Dude, then Little Guy and finally Minnesota Girl. The cool thing is, they all stay to help repair and build on to the castle. And that friendship can stand up to any wave that the ocean can throw at them.

This is one of those stories that check so many boxes that I think are important right now, in a natural-not-preachy way. Showing not telling. Lola is building a sandcastle but when it accidentally gets stepped on by a boy, instead of getting upset she invites him to join her in rebuilding it. The pattern of this continues until a whole group of children are working together to build a sand castle befitting a mermaid, or at least that's the goal. This story shows cooperation, working through dis...