Down Under the Pier

There’s lots of fun to be had up on the beach pier, but it’s down underneath where the true—and totally free—magic happens

There’s lots of fun to be had up on the pier—the Ferris wheel, the rollercoaster, Skee-Ball and Whac-A-Mole, cotton candy, copper coins, the carousel. But it’s down under the pier, at low tide, where the real magic can be found. The best part? It’s free. Nell Beckerman’s poetic text and deep love of the intertidal zone, and Rachell Sumpter’s dreamy, “endless summer” art make this the perfect beach book.

Nell Cross Beckerman writes picture books inspired by the magic of nature and the human spirit. She has produced, written, and directed shows for VH1, MTV, MSNBC, and the Discovery Channel. She lives in Venice Beach with her husband and two daughters. Rachell Sumpter is a painter and illustrator whose work has been featured in the New York Times, McSweeney’s, the Boston Globe, and O Magazine. She also is an art professor, shows her work in galleries, teaches workshops at museums, and enjoys reading, observing nature, and spending time with her partner and their two children. She lives in Seattle. This is her first children’s book.