Lottie's New Beach Towel

One beautiful summer day Lottie, a chicken, is squeezing lemons when a package arrives. It's a red-and-white polka-dotted beach towel from her Aunt Mattie with a note that says, "This might come in handy this summer." Boy, does it! Young readers will revel in the simple story of a day at the beach with absurd little twists. Lottie's friend Herbie is a duck, has a boat, and wears a hat labeled "Capitano." When he picks her up from the shore for a boat ride and the motor "gets tired and goes to sleep," they sail back with the help of the beach towel, of course. Petra Mathers, creator of Borreguita and the Coyote and Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, not only exposes the indispensable nature of one humble beach towel, she also creates a quirky story of friendship and a funny take on how one thing leads to another. In Lottie's closing letter to her aunt, she writes, "Thank you so much for my new beach towel. Without it I might be in the hospital with burnt feet or lost at sea with Herbie. There might not even have been a wedding. But let me start at the beginning." Charming illustrations and an elegant, sunny design are bound to make this winning picture book a story-time favorite. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson