At the Bach

An evocative and beautiful bedtime book that distils the essence of summer at the bach; creaky old bed, sandy feet, waves hush-hushing and a shell under the pillow.

An evocative and beautiful bedtime picture book about summer days spent at the beach by internationally renowned author, Joy Cowley.

Summer holidays by the sea have a rhythm all their own. With a few resonant images Cowley takes us straight to the end of a long hot day with beach treasures under the pillow and the salty smell of the sea. The cadence of the final words echoes the shushing waves in a gentle signal of time for readers to sleep—“good day, good sea, good sand, good night”.

This simple poem by internationally renowned Joy Cowley transports the reader to a childhood summer with language that asks to be read over and over. Hilary Jean Tapper’s warm watercolour and ink illustrations add an inclusive cast of extended family, friends and children of different ages.

This title is a special New Zealand edition using the original poem title At the Bach. The international edition is published as Good Night, Good Beach.