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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“Swish-swoosh.” The sound of waves washing the shore repeats throughout an engaging picture book in which a young African American boy is the architect of his own adventure. After Gregory draws “a Sandy lion” at the beach, his dad cautions, “Don’t go in the water, and don’t leave Sandy.” And Gregory doesn’t, but as the tail he draws on Sandy gets longer and longer, it takes him farther and farther away from his dad: over an old sand castle, around a horseshoe and a ghost crab, all the way to a jetty. “But Gregory did not go in the water, and he did not leave Sandy.” It’s only when he finally looks up that Gregory realizes how far he’s gone. He turns a moment of worry—which one of those distant figures sitting on towels is his dad?—into masterful problem solving when he follows Sandy’s tail over and around all the objects, back to his dad’s welcome smile. Floyd Cooper’s sun-washed, sandy illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this terrific picture book narrative. Highly Commended, 2011 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 3–7)

CCBC Choices 2011 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2010
Gregory draws a lion in the sand at the beach. As the lion's tail gets longer, Greg gets farther and farther away from Dad. Williams's poetic text, including onomatopoeia (e.g., the "swish-swoosh" of the waves), and Cooper's expressive sandy-hued illustrations draw readers into Gregory's emotions: joy, curiosity, anxiety, and, finally, relief. A simple and loving tale of a bond between father and son.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

April 15, 2010
Preschool-G The titular tail refers here to a lion drawn in the sand by Gregory, an intrepid boy who, in extending the tail with a stick, winds up exploring a broad length of beach without quite disobeying his dads directive to not wander away. As the boy goes further and further, he comes across such common seaside sights as a jellyfish, a crumbling sand castle, a horseshoe crab, and a ghost crab. Finally realizing the distance he has traveled, he traces his tail, with its swirls and zigzags, back past the objects he has found. Williams, who always takes readers on a worthwhile journey, accentuates her straightforward telling with the repetitive sounds of the shore (Swish-swoosh), which also punctuate Gregorys embellishments of the long tail. Coopers warm, peachy-brown palette splendidly evokes the seaside setting, and his talent for expressive faces and texture (he won the 2009 Coretta Scott King Award for The Blacker the Berry) works to draw in viewers. A lovely collaboration suited for every collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

From School Library Journal

Starred review from March 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 2-A charming tale of creativity and discovery. When Gregory draws a lion in the sand, his father suggests that it needs a tail and a name. As the child begins making a tail with a stick, Dad reminds him, "Don't go into the water, and don't leave Sandy." Although Gregory does not go into the water, his interpretation of not leaving Sandy is highly suspect. As he continues to draw the tail, it leads him a long way down the beach. Gregory winds it around a purple jellyfish, a sandcastle, a horseshoe crab, and more, until he reaches a jetty. He turns around and has lost sight of Dad, but fortunately is clever enough to follow the tail back past his landmarks, until he finds part of Sandy, whose body has been washed away. Gregory is happy and relieved to see his father sitting under the blue umbrella on the dolphin towel. The pastel illustrations use a soft, muted palette and have a grainy, beachlike feel to them. Cooper does an outstanding job of using perspective to underscore the immensity of the beach and sea. Gregory's facial expressions are full of wonder and curiosity as he finds small discoveries during his adventure. A wonderful summer tale to share one-on-one or with a group."Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

January 11, 2010
At the beach with his father, Greg strays from his beach umbrella, but stays calm and remembers the two things Dad told him: “Don’t go in the water, and don’t leave Sandy.” Sandy is a lion Greg has drawn in the sand, and because Greg hasn’t lifted the stick with which he has drawn Sandy’s long, long tail (circling, as he goes, a jellyfish, a horseshoe crab, and other beachside marvels), he’s able to retrace his steps to find his father, who’s delighted to see him. Cooper (The Blacker the Berry
) draws a startlingly real Greg in a series of tight closeups; readers will feel they can reach out and touch him. Grainy pastel and washed-out color evoke the seashore’s bleached palette, while Greg’s reverent attention to the treasures he finds is the focus of every page. The representation of an African-American father and child in a nonurban setting is welcome, while Williams’s (Four Feet, Two Sandals
) even pacing and soothing text reassure children without losing momentum. Most valuable, though, is Williams’s belief in Greg and his resourcefulness; quiet satisfaction pervades his story. Ages 3–7.

From AudioFile Magazine

On an outing to the beach with his dad, Greg uses a stick to draw a lion in the sand. When Dad observes that the lion needs a tail, a creative journey begins. Accompanied by sound effects of the beach, Greg, with his stick dragging in the sand, wanders down the beach. Dion Graham's narration depicts his exploratory walk along the waterline. With each whooshing sound of the waves, Graham invites listeners to anticipate the next discovery--a horseshoe crab, a gooey jellyfish, and a sand castle. Graham's calmness prevails as Greg travels far down the beach and has to use his wits and his wave-swept line to return to Dad. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine