Two children spend the summer with their grandfather, and learn that the sand dunes along the shore protect different kinds of animals from the water. They spend the summer enjoying the mice, snakes, rabbits, and crabs that live along the dunes. One day, a strong storm destroys the dunes, and the children return to their home to start a new school year. Over Christmas break, they go back to their grandfather's home, with a Christmas tree in tow. They arrive and see everyone in the community lining up Christmas trees on the shore. The next summer, they return again, and see that the sand dunes had grown again, and the animals could live on the shore once more. The story is mostly narrated, with only four quotations from its characters. This seems to make the story appear as if it could take place anywhere, anytime, with anyone. We do not learn much about the characters, themselves. Rather, Garland focuses on nature and the seasons. Robert J. Lee's gouache paintings portray the different seasons in vibrant colors. During the summer months, readers see the varied wildflowers and local animals. After the storm hits, his paintings show the beach, with odds and ends strewn all about. In the winter, people are wearing heavy jackets and there are no animals at the beach. In this book, Sherry Garland tells a story about the environment, its fragility, and the power of a community that is able to work together. ( )