Three by the Sea: Level 2 (Easy-to-
Read, Puffin) by Edward Marshall
Our Favorite Book
Three friends relax after their picnic lunch by each telling his or her best
story.
Personal Review: Three by the Sea: Level 2 (Easy-to-Read,
Puffin) by Edward Marshall
"Three by the Sea," from the classic children's book team of the Marshalls,
is a wonderful book for second grade readers (or advanced first graders)
that offers up a funny story with a humorous sense of parody. This is a
children's book that actually makes fun of children's books. Any young
reader who is sick and tired of 'basal readers' (you know, those dull, "The
man has a tan can; The dog is on the log," kind of books) will love this
story. But best of all, adults will enjoy reading it along with their child. This
is a perfect book to experience with your child to help them learn to read
on their own. (I used to teach second graders how to read, and this was
always their favorite book - they really got into it and loved reading it out
loud along with me as we acted it out.)The book follows three children,

Lolly, Spider, and Sam, as they sit on the beach and tell each other stories,
with each child trying to out-do the others. The three stories they tell are all
gems:LOLLY'S STORY: A parody of the typical boring school reader.
Nothing happens. A Cat and a Dog see a Rat. That's it. Spider and Sam
don't like the story one bit, but it's extremely funny to read the simplistic,
dull writing style and look at the stick-figure pictures. You can have fun with
your child by reading this out loud in the most boring monotone voice you
can, and then ask them if they thought it was a good story. They'll agree
with Spider and Sam. It's BAAAAD!SAM'S STORY: Challenged by Lolly to
come up with something better - as long as it has a cat and rat in it - Sam
creates this funny little story about a very foolish rat who buys a cat at a
pet store. The cat won't tell the rat what it is that he really likes to eat... You
can have great fun with this story by having your child read the parts out
loud and giving the cat and rat different voices. You can also ask them to
try to predict what might happen. What do YOU think the cat really likes to
eat? (You're in for a funny surprise.)SPIDER'S STORY. Well, Spider didn't
like the twist ending to Sam's story, so he offers up his own cat-rat
tale...and he'll make it SCARY as well! With great, serious drama, a rather
silly-looking Godzilla-like monster rises from the sea ("And he was really
mean!") Is he hungry for...a rat? No! Cheese? No! A cat? No! He likes
kids...on toast!...and in fact he sees three kids sitting on the beach telling
stories... This is a really fun piece to read out loud with spooky voices, and
the repetition of phrases make it a great one for your child to practice
reading on his or her own. Provide a big scary voice for the narrator, and
your child will be laughing hysterically. (Don't worry, though. It all comes
out all right in the end, and who can take the funny illustrations seriously?
This is one goofy looking monster, especially when walking on his tip-
toes!)I can't recommend this book highly enough for second graders. You'll
have fun reading it along with them, and it teaches great reading skills
while offering up something much different from the usual run-of-the-mill
kids story. A terrific tool for teaching at home and having quality
educational time and play time with your child. Just watch out for those
really mean monsters.And that is that!
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