Review - Jules vs. the Ocean

Jules vs. the Ocean
by Jessie Sima
Date: 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

From the creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a story about a young girl determined to impress her older sister by building elaborate sandcastles, even if that means standing up to the ocean and its smash-happy waves!

Jules is going to build the biggest, the fanciest, and the most excellent sandcastle. Her sister will be so impressed.

But the ocean has other plans.

Jules keeps building bigger, fancier, and more excellent castles, and waves keep smashing them.

And when the ocean takes her bucket, that is the final straw.

Jules is going to take a stand!

From beloved storyteller Jessie Sima comes the tongue-in-cheek story of the sand, the sea, and sisterhood—told with her signature warmth, timeless humor, and delightfully playful illustrations.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While the illustrations are nice, the rest of the book is uninteresting and rather grating. It's basically about a little girl who doesn't learn from her mistakes and has zero critical thinking skills; a child this stupid should not be left on her own at the edge of the water.

Jules keeps building sandcastles right on the edge of the sea, only to have them washed away by the ocean waves. Undeterred, she keeps repeating the same mistake, expecting a different result. Finally, she decides the ocean is out to get her. She loses her bucket, her sister helps her build another castle (again, right at the edge of the water), and the ocean strikes again. Then the girls' mother tells them that the moon is in charge of the ocean... so they decide the moon is out to get them.

I just don't like reading about stupid people, no matter how young they are. It's tiresome. Check this one out for the appealing illustrations if you must... but don't expect a lot from the story.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5