When we took our pails and shovels
and went down to the sea
the waves ran up to meet us
as if glad that we had come.
They make a fizzling, bubbling sound
as the lacy edges of white
foam swirled around our feet.

This book is about two children and all about the day the waves ran up to meet them and left seashells lying on the beach. The children wonder at the beauty of the shells they find. So many different kinds. So many different colors. And each shell was once the home for a little creature that lived inside.

When you read this book and look at the lovely pictures you can think, as these children do, about these shells. You can imagine how they got their common names. What would you call a shell that looked like a spinning top? Or like a tiny slipper? And why is the little shell that looks like a spiral staircase called a wentletrap?

The shells found on this day are the beginning of a collection. At then end of the book, there are two pages showing the shells arranged and labeled. There is also a section telling how shells are made; how they get their special shapes and colors.

In they story it is one day on one beach though it might be many days on different beaches. Even if you don't live near the sea you might find and enjoy shells in a museum.

From the dust jacket