If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! - (Magnolia Says Don't!) by Elise Parsley (Hardcover)

About the Book

Magnolia is a little girl with a big idea, determination, and one very heavy upright piano that she insists on taking with her to the beach, but in a series of mishaps, Magnolia quickly learns that a piano does not mix well with sand, sun, and seagulls.

Book Synopsis

The second book in the New York Times bestselling series that began with If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! is another uproarious cautionary tale about things that DON'T belong together!

If your mom says to get ready to play at the beach, she means with a boat, or a Frisbee, or a shovel. She is NOT talking about the piano. But Magnolia is a little girl with a big idea, determination, and one very heavy upright piano that, she insists, she needs to take with her. What's the worst that can happen? In a riotous series of mishaps, Magnolia quickly learns that--not surprisingly--a piano doesn't mix well with sand, sun, and seagulls!

Review Quotes

Praise for If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't!: "Parsley's digitally created illustrations brim with energy and just-edgy-enough humor... and the well-chosen school-day details in both the artwork and text... deliver a steady stream of laughs."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for If You Ever Want to Take a Piano to the Beach, Don't!:

"Magnolia's voice is wonderfully childlike... her facial expressions top all, perfectly capturing both her exuberance and her mood swings. A delightful demonstration of just one of many things not to take to the beach; the brainstorming possibilities are endless."--Kirkus Reviews

"Children are likely to get a kick out of Magnolia's not-quite-contrite tone and the colorful chaos her giant pet creates."--New York Times

"This is an engaging debut picture book [that] will appeal to a wide age range. Here's hoping for more adventures with Magnolia!"--School Library Journal

[It] revels in the rampage of the id-here in the form of a formidable and toothy crocodilian. Elise Parsley's jaunty second-person narration is matched by comically expressive and detailed digital artwork that seems to shout from the page."--Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Elise Parsley has written and illustrated the New York Times bestseller If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON'T! and three other stories about Magnolia, as well as How to Catch a Clover Thief and Neck & Neck. She also illustrated The Magic Word by Mac Barnett. Elise and her family live in South Dakota, and she invites you to visit her website at eliseparsley.com.