Princess Sunshine and the Shiny, Shiny Seashells

By Steve “Poppy” Levine Illustrations by Richard Kemp

Princess

By Steve” Poppy” Levine Illustrations by Richard Kemp

There once was a pretty, pretty princess who was happy (almost) all the time.

“I know just what we should do,” said the wizard.

“What?” asked the pretty princess. What?” asked the beautiful queen. “Let’s go to the beach,” said the wise wizard.

“I’ve never been to the beach,” said the princess. “Let’s go,” said the queen. “Let’s go right away.”

So Princess Sunshine, her mom, the beautiful queen, and the wise Wizard Elaine took the royal coach to the palace on the beach. Wizard Elaine put lotion on the princess so her soft, white skin would not burn.

It was a beautiful day at the beach. The sun was shining. The sand

The water was clear and blue.

was white.

Tiny shore birds were running up and down on their tiny legs.

And everywhere Princess Sunshine looked, she saw beautiful things shining like diamonds near the surf.

“Oh my! What are those?” the princess asked, pointing at the shiny things.

The queen picked one up.

“These are seashells,” she said. “They are the jewels of the beach.”

“They are so, so shiny,” said Princess Sunshine.

“May I pick them up?”

“Yes, you may,” said the queen. “As many as you like.”

Princess Sunshine walked all over the beach. She picked up many shiny seashells and put them in her pail.

She picked up big shells and little ones.

“Oh my,” she said.

She picked up round shells and curly ones.

“Oh my,” she said.

She picked up perfect shells and broken – but still very pretty – ones.

“Oh my,” she said.

As the princess walked on the beach, the tiny shore birds walked with her.

Sometimes they ran away on their tiny legs, laughing.

Then they ran right back on their tiny legs, laughing. Princess Sunshine laughed with the little shore birds. It was such a fun game!

When her pail was full, the princess poured her shiny seashells onto the sand. They were all so very pretty!

She put the big shells in a pile and the little ones in a pile.

She put the striped shells in a pile and the white ones in a pile and the red ones in a pile and the black ones in a pile.

She put the round shells in a pile and the curly ones in a pile.

Then she put the perfect shells in a pile and the broken – but still very pretty – ones in a pile.

She ran up and down the beach, playing her fun game with the tiny shore birds. They all laughed.

Soon, the sun started to go down into the ocean. Princess Sunshine began to feel so tired. She sat down on the sand next to her shiny seashells and smiled at them. “Tomorrow, I will wash them all and put them in my pail so we can take the shiny seashells home,” she told the beautiful queen.

“Now it’s time to go to bed,” the queen said.

During the night a rain storm came.

Big waves rolled all over the beach.

In the morning, the princess ran down to the spot in the sand where she had left her shiny seashells. They were all gone!!! The big waves had washed them all back into the ocean.

Princess Sunshine sat down on the beach and cried.

“Oh my,” she said. “Oh my.”

The tiny shore birds heard their new friend crying. They ran up to her on their tiny legs.

“What is wrong, pretty princess?” they asked. “Why are you crying so?”

“All my shiny seashells are gone,” the princess said. And she started to cry even more.

The tiny shore birds run up and down the beach. They told the fish and the crabs and all the other birds what had happened to their pretty friend.

The fish jumped out of the water. They threw shiny seashells onto the sand near the princess.

The crabs crawled out of their holes. They carried shiny seashells to the princess.

All the birds flew up and down the beach. They picked up shiny seashells. They dropped them on the sand near the princess.

They brought round shells and curly ones. They brought perfect shells and broken –but still very pretty –ones.

Then the beautiful queen and Wizard Elaine helped the princess wash all the shiny shells and put them in her pail to take home.

The tiny shore birds ran all around the princess on their tiny legs, laughing. “Goodbye, pretty princess,” they said. “Please come back to the beach real soon.”