Smug Seagull

by Maddie Frost

Overview

In this laugh-out-loud illustrated adventure, the sneakiest seagull on the beach meets his match when a plucky crab makes a grab for the tastiest snacks.


Get a good look, because Smug Seagull just so happens to be the best snack swiper from shore to shore. That's a fact!


Sandwiches. Pretzels. French Fries. You bring 'em to the beach, he's going to swipe 'em. But when a crab with even better swiping skills comes along, this seagull will have to decide if there are enough treats on the beach for everyone . . .


Maddie Frost's unforgettable characters and bright, kid-friendly illustrations combine in this humorous story about patience, sharing, and wicked good snacks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316523196
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Maddie Frost is the author and illustrator of Once Upon a Zzzz, Wakey Birds, and Smug Seagull, as well as the illustrator of The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs, among other books. She grew up in Massachusetts and attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design for animation. Maddie lives outside of Boston, and she invites you to visit her online at Maddie-Frost.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Swipe this one off the shelf for a belly-laugh-inducing beach read."—Kirkus

"[A] laugh-along picture book.... Bright and filled with movement."
—Booklist

"An enjoyable, comical tale."
—School Library Journal

"Full of comedic antics.... This is a quick summertime romp for future fans of Dav Pilkey."
—BCCB

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

K-Gr 2—Seagull is swift as well as smug. Swooping down the crowded beach, this bold bird swipes sandwiches, grapes, chips, and other edibles from stunned beachgoers. Frost's busy cartoon sketches follow the bragging bird through broad beach and underwater scenes and many smaller close-up moments as his swiping skills are tested by a much smaller beach denizen. A red crab gets the better of him in a french fry theft, and off into the water they go. Seagull humorously reacts to the tussles with underwater creatures and the feisty beach humans who now start to fight back. As he meets with the crab again, he quips: "Well, if it isn't Mr. Fancy Legs! You got a lotta nerve coming around my neck of the beach." It's a tale of confrontation and new camaraderie. Children turn the tide and Seagull and the crab soar off to new thievery. VERDICT An enjoyable, comical tale that is recommended for purchase.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

School Library Journal

2020-02-09
Smug Seagull meets its match.

The titular avian character is smug because it’s “the best snack swiper from shore to shore,” if it does say so itself—and it does. Repeatedly. No beachgoer’s snack is safe from its swiping ways, and it’s darn proud of that fact. “I got my name in lights!” it brags, pointing to a lamppost sign reading: “ATTENTION PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE SEAGULLS.” And “I got my name in the sky,” it continues, flying near a plane pulling a banner that advertises “The Seagull Grill.” The comics-influenced storytelling, with sunny-hued panels and speech balloons, is ideal for the text’s cheeky humor, which owes something of a debt to Mo Willems’ Pigeon books. Smug Seagull gets its comeuppance not from a bus driver, but when a tiny crab swipes back a french fry the gull had swiped from the crustacean. A slapstick chase ensues, complete with underwater antics, and a decidedly less smug Smug Seagull emerges from the sea, humbled, dismayed, and french fry–less. Things take a turn for the worse when it realizes beachgoers have found ways to prevent it from swiping their snacks. “I’VE LOST MY SWIPE TO A CRAB!!!” Smug Seagull wails. But all is not lost. The crab shows the gulls how to endear themselves to “tiny humans” and still get plenty of snacks.

Swipe this one off the shelf for a belly-laugh–inducing beach read. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews