• Age: 5 to 6
• Grade: k to 1
• Reading age: 5 to 6

When Sam tries to have fun in the sun, everything she tries leads to trouble. But soon she finds a smelly dead fish to roll in and suddenly the beach seems like a much better place to be.

This Level 1 first reader contains short stories, simple sentences, easy vocabulary, simple visual clues and lots of repetition.

Mary Labatt is an editor and writer. She is the author of the Dog Detective Sam mystery series, the Sam and Friends graphic mystery novels, the Puppy Sam level one early readers and a novel called A Puppy is for Loving. With all these dog books you can guess what Mary does on her Clear Creek, Ontario farm. She breeds and raises Rough Collies and Welsh Springer Spaniels. In the picture you can see Mary with two of her collie mothers, Annabel and Chloe.

Mary Labatt's profile page

Marisol Sarrazin is an internationally reknowned children's books illustrator. She has published more than sixty books which have been translated into many languages. Her work has already earned her numerous awards, including the Mr. Christie Award for the best book published in French in Canada in 1998. Her name was also on the lists of finalists for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrators Medal from the Canadian Association of Children's Librarians for 2001.

Marisol Sarrazin's profile page

Children ... will be delighted with this offering from Mary Labatt. The story ... is aimed at beginning readers who will appreciate the repetition of the words, the few sentences on each page, and the simplicity of the text ... Marisol Sarrazin's delightful illustrations are perfectly suited to the story and will please readers of any age.—CM Magazine

With their short sentences and easy vocabulary, these titles provide sound beginning-reading practice.—School Library Journal

Sam at the Seaside (Kids Can Read Level 1)