Fun in the Sun

I Like to Read

by David Catrow

Illustrations and easy-to-read text relate a trip to the beach that features a man in a funny hat--or hat on a funny man, a sandy lunch and swimsuit, and a high-flying kite.

Genres: Picture Books, Summer, Dogs, Storytime, Animals, Fiction, Childrens

Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

David Catrow's favorite subject in school was math. Why? Well, Mr. Hirsch's class was where Catrow did some of his best drawings! Catrow's zany illustrations have illuminated over 30 books for kids, and his editorial cartoons are syndicated in more than 900 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Not bad for someone who started out as a pre-med major at Kent State and later worked as a paramedic for ten years. During this time Catrow also worked as a freelance artist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon-Journal. Art finally emerged as his definitive career, and he's never stopped since.

This amusing illustrator and his wife, Deborah, live in Ohio and have two children. When asked what would be the one thing he would like to learn to do, Catrow replied that he'd like to learn to catch a Frisbee with his teeth! It's this same offbeat sense of humor that truly colors his art. There's no doubt that Catrow's work has brought chuckles, smiles and even smirks to the young and old.

(Scholastic authors)

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text is meh but I love love love the illustrations. Weird and fun and colorful and interesting to look at for a while.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Catrow is back with his exuberant illustrations and crackpot sense of humor. In this case he takes us on a trip to the ocean with a paunchy pooch and his pet goldfish. This rotund dog is surrounded by equally weird humans as he hits the beach. A picnic, sand in your swimsuit, a float in an inner tube--it's all part of the fun. His goldfish even makes a new friend! Yet the pooch keeps thinking he forgot something. In the end it's clear what it was--sunscreen! Does this have a deep moral message? Nope, not a bit. But I can guarantee that it will set young readers rolling with laughter.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations kind of gave me the creeps...

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Catrow books are all about the illustrations. No matter how good, or funny the story is, the illustrations always take it up, not one, but multiple notches. I can admit, I am a fan.

[Jtimko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog goes to the beach with his friends for a day of fun. But has he forgotten something? The last page of this story reveals a humorous twist to the story.
This is another humorous story from a hilarious author-illustrator. Simple and sparse text combines with bright watercolor and ink drawings to keep the attention of the reader. There are plenty of hidden details that will keep the readers searching for humorous twists to the story. The facial expressions are hilarious. If you do not have any Catrow books, this one is a good start to your collection. Highly Recommended. Grades Pre-K through grade 2.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are big fans of David Catrow's illustrations, so it's always a treat when we discover another one of his books at our local library. This book offers a whimsical look at a day at the sea shore, which is a nice thought on a cold January day.

The narrative is very short and the pictures are hilarious. We loved the fun details and the pets are so zany. We enjoyed reading this book together and I could see this book working well as a group read aloud.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely mundane text becomes something amazing with Catrow's over-the-top, laugh-out-loud artwork.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, with quirky illustrations. Not exactly my taste, but I know my kids would find it hilarious.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, simple text describing a character's trip to the beach. The illustrations are what make this book-they are so detailed, and interesting to look at, and humorous. The main character could be a rabbit, but I believe it is some kind of dog. I wouldn't use this with a large group of kids-they would be crawling over each other to see the pictures. But a small group of less than five works, or one/two sitting on your lap.

[Mia J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only borrowed this from the library because I wanted to show my husband the odd illustrations. I'm not sure how interested a child would be in the style of illustrations BUT the pages were jammed packed with beautiful colors and objects, which allows more readability because every time we look at the page we focus on something different! I enjoyed the story and thought the pet goldfish was adorable. The pages are also not jammed packed with words if that's your style.

[sweet orange books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I wasn't a big fan of the text, but I enjoyed the colorful and quite grotesque illustrations. It was good for once to not see a main character as necessarily "cute". Seeing this big golden fish in this tiny aquarium was kinda sad though, especially as he couldn't enjoy the salted water either. At least, he made a friend.

Read and reviewed: 2018-10-16

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange little book - cute, but odd. I also read the description on the flyleaf and went 'oh, it's a dog!' about the main character which was weird again since there were also dogs running around on the beach with their humans. Cute, but strange. Not sure how I feel about this one.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, funny. Good for young readers. I like the illustrations

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute, the pictures are hilarious. About a fun day at the beach for a pup and his family and their pet fish. They end up bringing home a little something extra.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. A unique art style in the illustrations. The fish's new friend is my favorite thing in this book.

[Richelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations in this book are great

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Renee MA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that you skim the words and devour the pictures.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hilarious art, but this book would have been MUCH better as a wordless story. The text is actually a distraction from the story, which is so wonderfully illustrated.

[Scott T.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute :)

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright, vibrant illustrations highlight this story about a family headed to the beach for the day.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and funny pictures.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book didn't have any words, I absolutely believe it will be fine, if not, BETTER without them.
So much going on on EVERY single page---it is just hilarious.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself was just ok, but the illustration were borderline creepy.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Catrow is one of my favorite children's book illustrators. In this book, he's both author and illustrator, which makes for the perfect blend of words and pictures.

This is the story of a young (ugly) dog going to the beach on a sunny day. He takes his pet fish with him and they have some very silly adventures. The words for this story are very sparse and are mainly just there as a segue for the illustrations.

Great fun!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, Catrow's illustrations are odd, humorous and even a little grotesque. Yet they are fully entertaining even if the story they accompany is a little lacking in excitement and plot. Colorful and quirky are my favorite things about Catrow's style and that is exactly what you get with this book.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! A picture book beach book that tells the truth: The struggle to look good in your suit, getting sand in your suit, and forgetting the sun tan lotion! This funny story of a dog who takes his goldfish for a trip to the beach is double the fun with Catrow's expressive illustrations. I can hear the giggles from young readers from here.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! A rotund dog undertakes an expedition to the beach, complete with his goldfish, beach umbrella and hamper. What could he have forgotten? Minimal text puts the focus on the absurdly funny illustrations which are a delightful series of sight-gags. Can't WAIT to share this with kids.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book text wise. The "zany" illustrations do help tell the story, but a just not my cup of tea. Bizarre/unique looking people are distracting to me, as in most of Catrow's illustrated works but may attract listeners of this book. The colors are bright and awesome.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

BAD text. Just so bad. I normally like these illustrations but this particular book weirded me out. Is our man character a dog? It kind of looks like an obese Ren from Ren and Stimpy. Hard pass on this one.