The seventh book in Enid Blyton's The Noddy Library, a series of chapter-books devoted to the adventures of a wooden toy with a nodding head, Noddy at the Seaside sees our hero on holiday with his good friend, Big Ears the brownie. Whether learning that the sea comes in and goes out, or discovering that it isn't a very pleasant experience to "catch" a crab, Noddy and Big Ears enjoy their time at the shore. But all vacations must come to an end...

As mentioned in my reviews of Well Done Noddy! and Noddy Goes to School, the fifth and sixth titles in the series, I understand that there is some controversy attached to these books, due to the inclusion of black-faced wooden dolls - called golliwogs - in the original editions. My copies were printed in 1996 however, and must be revised editions, as I encountered no golliwogs.

But despite my relief that the young readers of today will not have egregiously racist depictions forced upon them, I cannot recommend the Noddy books, which I find mawkishly sentimental, and I continue to be mystified by Blyton's worldwide popularity. ( )