In her first picture book, a renowned novelist weaves a gentle environmental message into a lyrical ode to family life at the seaside through the changing seasons.

It's stormy and the beach is whipped.
Ridged and raked, the dune's a cliff.
Swept and battered, littered, cluttered.
Calm descends; we're left with gifts.

Camping on the beach in summer, flying kites in autumn, combing storm-whipped sands in winter, treasure hunts in spring--here is a magnificent tribute to life by the ocean throughout the year. In a joyful story charting a family's adventures and celebrations--from New Year's to birthdays--Esther Freud's poetic text melds with Emma Chinnery's sprightly, atmospheric illustrations to captivate little ocean lovers and budding conservationists.