Sunrise Sail

♦ A celebration of summer and sailing—with some surprises. As in Seaside Stroll (2021), Trevino limits his lexicon to a smattering of alliterative s-words that describe a small sailor’s excursion with a grandfatherly “skipper.” Before dawn, the pair board a little sloop-rigged sailboat under scarlet canvas. In the near-darkness, the “stowaway” spotted on the prow first seems to be a “skunk” (“Scat! Scram!”) but turns out to be a tan-and-white pup that leaps overboard but is soon fished out. The sunrise is “spectacular!”; at lunchtime they land on a pleasant island. A “sudden squall” sends them scrambling, but it soon passes, and all three slumber in the sun. Waking, the dog sniffs and strides to the empty slip: The boat has drifted off! When the humans find themselves “stranded!” they are stunned. But they spot the stowaway swimming with the painter in its mouth, towing the boat back (a helpful wind billowing the canvas). The three sail off, the boat’s name, Serendipity, having proven prophetic. As in the earlier book, the selection of words is sensitive and effective: Clear sans-serif type makes many of them suitable for early reading. The humans are tan-skinned in Lechuga’s realistic, colorful visuals, which blend full-bleed illustrations and a few vignettes, perfectly matching the text’s simple, lovely spirit, conveying both serenity and suspense. The subtle, silent bonding of dog, child, and caregiver is especially sweet. Spare, satisfying, sibilant storytelling. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review